Publications by authors named "Cyrus Raji"

Background: Alterations in cellular metabolism affect cancer survival and can manifest in metrics of body composition. We investigated the effects of various body composition metrics on survival in patients with glioblastoma (GBM).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients who had an abdominal and pelvic computed tomography (CT) scan performed within 1 month of diagnosis of GBM (178 participants, 102 males, 76 females, median age: 62.

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Objective: This study investigated how obesity, BMI ≥ 30 kg/m, abdominal adiposity, and systemic inflammation relate to neuroinflammation using diffusion basis spectrum imaging.

Methods: We analyzed data from 98 cognitively normal midlife participants (mean age: 49.4 [SD 6.

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Plasma phosphorylated-tau 217 (p-tau217) is currently the most promising biomarker for reliable detection of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Various p-tau217 assays have been developed, but their relative performance is unclear. We compared key plasma p-tau217 tests using cross-sectional and longitudinal measures of amyloid-β (Aβ)-PET, tau-PET, and cognition as outcomes, and benchmarked them against cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker tests.

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  • Brain MRI with volumetric quantification helps distinguish between neurocognitive disorders by detecting brain atrophy not visible in standard visual assessments.
  • A study with 137 participants revealed MRI volumetry's effectiveness in diagnosing traumatic brain injury and various forms of Alzheimer's disease, highlighting significant differences in brain volumes among the conditions.
  • The results showed that the diagnostic accuracy was highest for traumatic brain injury, with specific brain regions identified as crucial predictive features for distinguishing between the disorders.
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  • * The paper aims to help radiologists by discussing MRI protocols, workflows, and reporting practices for monitoring amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA).
  • * Key topics include FDA guidelines for ARIA evaluation, standard MRI sequences, patient imaging scenarios, the radiologist's role in treatment, and results from a 2023 survey on dementia imaging practices.
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Background: Calorie restriction (CR) ameliorates preclinical models of multiple sclerosis (MS) via multiple mechanisms. These include decreased leptin, a proinflammatory adipokine, but mechanistic studies in humans are lacking. Tests of daily and intermittent CR (iCR) in people with MS (pwMS) showed improvements in fatigue and well-being measures.

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  • Phase 3 trials have shown that antiamyloid therapies are more effective in patients with milder Alzheimer disease, highlighting the need for plasma biomarkers in screening cognitively unimpaired individuals at risk of amyloid accumulation.
  • This longitudinal study aimed to determine if a combination of specific plasma biomarkers could predict the onset of Aβ pathology in cognitively unimpaired individuals with low baseline brain Aβ levels.
  • Results from multiple cohorts revealed that combining plasma %p-tau217 and Aβ42/40 levels significantly improved the detection of abnormal Aβ status, indicating a promising strategy for early intervention in Alzheimer's disease.
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Plasma phosphorylated-tau 217 (p-tau217) is currently the most promising biomarkers for reliable detection of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Various p-tau217 assays have been developed, but their relative performance is unclear. We compared key plasma p-tau217 tests using cross-sectional and longitudinal measures of amyloid-β (Aβ)-PET, tau-PET, and cognition as outcomes, and benchmarked them against cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker tests.

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Background: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) can result in lasting brain damage that is often too subtle to detect by qualitative visual inspection on conventional MR imaging. Although a number of FDA-cleared MR neuroimaging tools have demonstrated changes associated with mTBI, they are still under-utilized in clinical practice.

Methods: We investigated a group of 65 individuals with predominantly mTBI (60 mTBI, 48 due to motor-vehicle collision, mean age 47 ± 13 years, 27 men and 38 women) with MR neuroimaging performed in a median of 37 months post-injury.

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  • * A study involving 100 MS patients found that the rate of amyloid-β biomarker positivity was about half compared to 300 non-MS controls, indicating a lower risk of Alzheimer’s in MS patients.
  • * Most MS patients with amyloid-β pathology exhibited atypical symptoms for MS, suggesting that the relationship between MS and Alzheimer’s disease could lead to new research opportunities.
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Study Objectives: The association between snoring, a very common condition that increases with age, and dementia risk is controversial. We aimed to investigate the observational and causal relationship between snoring and dementia, and to elucidate the role of body mass index (BMI).

Methods: Using data from 451,250 participants who were dementia-free at baseline, we examined the association between self-reported snoring and incident dementia using Cox proportional-hazards models.

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  • A new deep learning model called AmyloidPETNet was developed to classify brain PET scans as amyloid positive or negative, aiming to reduce reliance on radiologist expertise and costly MRI computations.
  • The model was trained on 1538 PET scans and tested on various independent data sets, achieving an impressive area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of up to 0.98, indicating strong performance across different tracers.
  • Comparative analyses showed fair to good agreement between the model's classifications and visual assessments made by physicians, providing promising evidence for the model's clinical utility.
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Background: Pilot trials indicate that both a low glycemic load (GL) diet and calorie restriction (CR) can be implemented successfully in people with multiple sclerosis (pMS) and may improve MS symptoms and physical function, but large randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have not yet been conducted. The purpose of this study is to test these interventions alone and in combination to determine their efficacy for improving clinical and patient reported outcomes (PROs) in pMS.

Methods: This 32-week, two-arm, RCT at two centers will randomly assign 100 adults with relapsing-remitting or secondary progressive MS to a low GL diet (n = 50) or a standard GL diet (n = 50).

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Background: The potential neuroprotective effects of regular physical activity on brain structure are unclear, despite links between activity and reduced dementia risk.

Objective: To investigate the relationships between regular moderate to vigorous physical activity and quantified brain volumes on magnetic resonance neuroimaging.

Methods: A total of 10,125 healthy participants underwent whole-body MRI scans, with brain sequences including isotropic MP-RAGE.

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Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a debilitating condition that is widely known to adversely affect gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) tracts within the brain. Recently, precision medicine has shown promise in alleviating the clinical and gross morphological trajectories of patients with AD. However, regional morphological changes have not yet been adequately characterized.

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Background: Given the advent of large-scale neuroimaging data-driven endeavors for Alzheimer's disease, there is a burgeoning need for well-characterized neuroimaging databases of healthy individuals. With the rise of initiatives around the globe for the rapid and unrestricted sharing of data resources, there is now an abundance of open-source neuroimaging datasets available to the research community. However, there is not yet a systematic review that fully details the demographic information and modalities actually available in all open access neuroimaging databases around the globe.

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Background: The association between snoring, a very common condition that increases with age, and dementia risk is controversial. Snoring is linked to obstructive sleep apnoea and cardiometabolic conditions, both of which are associated with an increased risk of dementia. However, snoring also increases with body mass index (BMI), which in late life is linked to lower dementia risk, possibly due to metabolic changes during prodromal dementia.

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  • The study investigates imaging biomarkers in patients with dominantly inherited Alzheimer disease, using clinical MR images to potentially enhance understanding of the condition without invasive methods.
  • Researchers analyzed data from 525 participants, focusing on how mean and variability in MR signal intensities (FLAIR-μ, T1-σ, FLAIR-σ) changed as patients neared symptom onset, revealing notable patterns linked to disease progression.
  • Findings indicate that increased tau pathology correlates more closely with changes in imaging metrics than amyloid pathology, suggesting tau could be a crucial factor in the development of Alzheimer symptoms.
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  • Radiographic response assessment in neuro-oncology is vital for both clinical practice and trials, traditionally relying on 2D tumor measurements through MacDonald and RANO criteria.
  • There is an increasing need to improve these assessment methods due to the complexity of brain tumor treatments, with new approaches such as volumetric analysis and structured MRI reporting being explored.
  • The review evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of existing response criteria and highlights research on innovative response methods in neuro-oncology trials and their practical applications.
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The neurodegenerative disease field has enjoyed extremely limited success in the development of effective therapeutics. One potential reason is the lack of disease models that yield accurate predictions and optimal therapeutic targets. Standard clinical trials have pre-determined a single treatment modality, which may be unrelated to the primary drivers of neurodegeneration.

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Background: A carbohydrate-restricted diet aimed at lowering insulin levels has the potential to slow Alzheimer's disease (AD). Restricting carbohydrate consumption reduces insulin resistance, which could improve glucose uptake and neural health. A hallmark feature of AD is widespread cortical thinning; however, no study has demonstrated that lower net carbohydrate (nCHO) intake is linked to attenuated cortical atrophy in patients with AD and confirmed amyloidosis.

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Abdominal fat is increasingly linked to brain health. A total of 10,001 healthy participants were scanned on 1.5T MRI with a short whole-body MR imaging protocol.

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Obesity and excess adiposity at midlife are risk factors for Alzheimer disease (AD). Visceral fat is known to be associated with insulin resistance and a pro-inflammatory state, the two mechanisms involved in AD pathology. We assessed the association of obesity, MRI-determined abdominal adipose tissue volumes, and insulin resistance with PET-determined amyloid and tau uptake in default mode network areas, and MRI-determined brain volume and cortical thickness in AD cortical signature in the cognitively normal midlife population.

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Background: Non-pharmacologic interventions can potentially improve cognitive function, sleep, and/or mood in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD), post-concussion syndrome (PCS), or memory loss.

Objective: We evaluated the benefits of a brain rehabilitation program in an outpatient neurology practice that consists of targeted cognitive training, lifestyle coaching, and electroencephalography (EEG)-based neurofeedback, twice weekly (90 minutes each), for 12 weeks.

Methods: 223 child and adult patients were included: 71 patients with ADHD, 88 with PCS, and 64 with memory loss (mild cognitive impairment or subjective cognitive decline).

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by cognitive decline and atrophy in the medial temporal lobe (MTL) and subsequent brain regions. Structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) has been widely used in research and clinical care for diagnosis and monitoring AD progression. However, atrophy patterns are complex and vary by patient.

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