End-to-end volumetric segmentation of white matter hyperintensities using deep learning.

Background And Objectives: Reliable detection of white matter hyperintensities (WMH) is crucial for studying the impact of diffuse white-matter pathology on brain health and monitoring changes in WMH load over time. However, manual annotation of 3D high-dimensional neuroimages is laborious and can be prone to biases and errors in the annotation procedure. In this study, we evaluate the performance of deep learning (DL) segmentation tools and propose a novel volumetric segmentation model incorporating self-attention via a transformer-based architecture.

The effect of dairy products on liver fat and metabolic risk markers in males with abdominal obesity - a four-arm randomized controlled trial.

Background & Aims: In recent years, epidemiological studies have reported links between the consumption of fermented dairy products, such as yogurt, and health; however, evidence from human intervention trials is scarce and inconsistent. We aimed to investigate the effect of consumption of four different types of dairy products (two fermented and two non-fermented) on liver fat (primary outcome) and metabolic risk markers in males with abdominal obesity.

Methods: In this parallel randomized controlled trial with four arms, 100 males aged 30-70 years, with body mass index 28.

X-linked creatine transporter (SLC6A8) deficiency in females: Difficult to recognize, but a potentially treatable disease.

Creatine transporter deficiency (CTD), caused by pathogenic variants in SLC6A8, is the second most common cause of X-linked intellectual disability. Symptoms include intellectual disability, epilepsy, and behavioral disorders and are caused by reduced cerebral creatine levels. Targeted treatment with oral supplementation is available, however the treatment efficacy is still being investigated.

Hepatic Fibrosis Evaluated in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes with and without Chronic Kidney Disease.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and particularly liver fibrosis, has been suggested as a risk factor of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Given that NAFLD affects every fourth person globally, better insight is needed. Our aim was to investigate the association between hepatic fibrosis and CKD in patients with type 2 diabetes and to compare different methods for diagnosing liver fibrosis in this study population.

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease.

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is suggested as a risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD). The incidence of NAFLD is rising globally in parallel to the increasing incidences of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Diabetes remains the leading cause of CKD, but the co-existence of NAFLD, CKD, and type 2 diabetes is not well elucidated.

Neurovascular Coupling in Type 2 Diabetes With Cognitive Decline. A Narrative Review of Neuroimaging Findings and Their Pathophysiological Implications.

Type 2 diabetes causes substantial long-term damage in several organs including the brain. Cognitive decline is receiving increased attention as diabetes has been established as an independent risk factor along with the identification of several other pathophysiological mechanisms. Early detection of detrimental changes in cerebral blood flow regulation may represent a useful clinical marker for development of cognitive decline for at-risk persons.

Short periods of bipolar anodal TDCS induce no instantaneous dose-dependent increase in cerebral blood flow in the targeted human motor cortex.

Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (aTDCS) of primary motor hand area (M1-HAND) can enhance corticomotor excitability, but it is still unknown which current intensity produces the strongest effect on intrinsic neural firing rates and synaptic activity. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) combined with pseudo-continuous Arterial Spin Labeling (pcASL MRI) can map regional cortical blood flow (rCBF). The measured rCBF signal is sensitive to regional changes in neuronal activity due to neurovascular coupling.

Add-On MEmaNtine to Dopamine Antagonism to Improve Negative Symptoms at First Psychosis- the AMEND Trial Protocol.

Background: Antipsychotic drugs are primarily efficacious in treating positive symptoms by blocking the dopamine D2 receptor, but they fail to substantially improve negative symptoms and cognitive deficits. The limited efficacy may be attributed to the fact that the pathophysiology of psychosis involves multiple neurotransmitter systems. In patients with chronic schizophrenia, memantine, a non-competitive glutamatergic NMDA receptor antagonist, shows promise for ameliorating negative symptoms and improving cognition.

Locus Coeruleus Shows a Spatial Pattern of Structural Disintegration in Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) causes a loss of neuromelanin-positive, noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC), which has been implicated in nonmotor dysfunction.

Objectives: We used "neuromelanin sensitive" magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to localize structural disintegration in the LC and its association with nonmotor dysfunction in PD.

Methods: A total of 42 patients with PD and 24 age-matched healthy volunteers underwent magnetization transfer weighted (MTw) MRI of the LC.

Comparative Analysis of Blood T Values Measured by T -TRIR and TRUST.

Background: Venous blood oxygenation (Yv), which can be derived from venous blood T (T b), combined with oxygen-extraction fraction (OEF) and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen, is considered indicative for tissue viability and brain functioning and frequently assessed in patients with sickle cell disease. Recently, T -Prepared-Blood-Relaxation-Imaging-with-Inversion-Recovery (T -TRIR) was introduced allowing for simultaneous measurements of blood T and T (T b), potentially improving Yv estimation by overcoming the need to estimate hematocrit.

Purpose: To optimize and compare T -TRIR with T -relaxation-under-spin-tagging (TRUST) sequence.

Do glia provide the link between low-grade systemic inflammation and normal cognitive ageing? A H magnetic resonance spectroscopy study at 7 tesla.

Low-grade systemic inflammation contributes to ageing-related cognitive decline, possibly by triggering a neuroinflammatory response through glial activation. Using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( H-MRS) at 7T in normal human individuals from 18 to 79 years in a cross-sectional study, we previously observed higher regional levels of myo-inositol (mIns), total creatine (tCr) and total choline (tCho) in older than younger age groups. Moreover, visuo-spatial working memory (vsWM) correlated negatively with tCr and tCho in anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and mIns in hippocampus and thalamus.

Prospective frequency and motion correction for edited H magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

The major inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and the dominant antioxidant glutathione (GSH) both play a crucial role in brain functioning and are involved in several neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is a unique way to measure these neurometabolites non-invasively, but the measurement is highly sensitive to head movements, and especially in specific patient groups, motion stabilization in MRS could be valuable. Conventional MRS is acquired at relatively short echo times (TE), however, for unambiguous detection of GABA and GSH, spectral editing techniques are typically used.

Feasibility of Glutamate and GABA Detection in Pons and Thalamus at 3T and 7T by Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.

Glutamate detection in pons and thalamus using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-MRS) after an intervention is of interest for studying various brain disorders. However, H-MRS in these brain regions is challenging and time-consuming, especially in longitudinal study designs. H-MRS of more cortical structures at the ultrahigh magnetic field strength of 7T yields an improved spectral output, including separation of the glutamate signal from the glutamine signal, in a shorter and more feasible scan time, as compared to conventional clinical field strengths.

Regional Myo-Inositol, Creatine, and Choline Levels Are Higher at Older Age and Scale Negatively with Visuospatial Working Memory: A Cross-Sectional Proton MR Spectroscopy Study at 7 Tesla on Normal Cognitive Ageing.

Proton MR spectroscopy (H-MRS) has been used to assess regional neurochemical brain changes during normal ageing, but results have varied. Exploiting the increased sensitivity at ultra-high field, we performed H-MRS in 60 healthy human volunteers to asses age-related differences in metabolite levels and their relation to cognitive ageing. Sex was balanced, and participants were assigned to a younger, middle, and older group according to their age, ranging from 18 to 79 years.

MR spectroscopy using static higher order shimming with dynamic linear terms (HOS-DLT) for improved water suppression, interleaved MRS-fMRI, and navigator-based motion correction at 7T.

Purpose: To interleave global and local higher order shimming for single voxel MRS. Single voxel MR spectroscopy requires optimization of the B field homogeneity in the region of the voxel to obtain a narrow linewidth and provide high data quality. However, the optimization of local higher order fields on a localized MRS voxel typically leads to large field offsets outside that volume.

Cerebral oxygen metabolism in adults with sickle cell disease.

In sickle cell disease (SCD), oxygen delivery is impaired due to anemia, especially during times of increased metabolic demand, and cerebral blood flow (CBF) must increase to meet changing physiologic needs. But hyperemia limits cerebrovascular reserve (CVR) and ischemic risk prevails despite elevated CBF. The cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO ) directly reflects oxygen supply and consumption and may therefore be more insightful than flow-based CVR measures for ischemic risk in SCD.

Cortical microinfarcts in memory clinic patients are associated with reduced cerebral perfusion.

Cerebral cortical microinfarcts (CMIs) are small ischemic lesions associated with cognitive impairment and dementia. CMIs are frequently observed in cortical watershed areas suggesting that hypoperfusion contributes to their development. We investigated if presence of CMIs was related to a decrease in cerebral perfusion, globally or specifically in cortex surrounding CMIs.

Quantification of cerebral perfusion and cerebrovascular reserve using Turbo-QUASAR arterial spin labeling MRI.

Purpose: To compare cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebrovascular reserve (CVR) quantification from Turbo-QUASAR (quantitative signal targeting with alternating radiofrequency labeling of arterial regions) arterial spin labeling (ASL) and single post-labeling delay pseudo-continuous ASL (PCASL).

Methods: A model-based method was developed to quantify CBF and arterial transit time (ATT) from Turbo-QUASAR, including a correction for magnetization transfer effects caused by the repeated labeling pulses. Simulations were performed to assess the accuracy of the model-based method.

Correction to: Ultra-high field MR angiography in human migraine models: a 3.0 T/7.0 T comparison study.

After publication of the original article [1], the authors have notified us that an updated version of Figures 1, 2 and 3 should have been published. The incorrect and revised figures can be found below.

Improvement in diagnostic quality of structural and angiographic MRI of the brain using motion correction with interleaved, volumetric navigators.

Introduction: Subject movements lead to severe artifacts in magnetic resonance (MR) brain imaging. In this study we evaluate the diagnostic image quality in T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and time-of-flight angiographic MR sequences when using a flexible, navigator-based prospective motion correction system (iMOCO).

Methods: Five healthy volunteers were scanned during different movement scenarios with and without (+/-) iMOCO activated.

Ultra-high field MR angiography in human migraine models: a 3.0 T/7.0 T comparison study.

Background: Sildenafil and calcitonin gene-related peptide both dilate the intradural segments of the middle meningeal artery measured with 3.0 tesla (T) MR angiography. Here we hypothesized that an increase in field strength to 7.

Hemodynamic provocation with acetazolamide shows impaired cerebrovascular reserve in adults with sickle cell disease.

Sickle cell disease is characterized by chronic hemolytic anemia and vascular inflammation, which can diminish the vasodilatory capacity of the small resistance arteries, making them less adept at regulating cerebral blood flow. Autoregulation maintains adequate oxygen delivery, but when vasodilation is maximized, the low arterial oxygen content can lead to ischemia and silent cerebral infarcts. We used magnetic resonance imaging of cerebral blood flow to quantify whole-brain cerebrovascular reserve in 36 adult patients with sickle cell disease (mean age, 31.

The effect of physical exercise on cerebral blood flow in Alzheimer's disease.

In recent years there has been an increasing focus on the relation between cerebrovascular health, physical exercise and Alzheimer's disease. The aim of the current study was to determine the effect of moderate-to-high-intensity aerobic exercise on cerebral blood flow in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Fifty-one patients were randomized to either usual care or moderate-to-high intensity aerobic exercise for 16 weeks.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid edited echo-planar spectroscopic imaging (EPSI) with MEGA-sLASER at 7T.

Purpose: For rapid spatial mapping of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) at the increased sensitivity and spectral separation for ultra-high magnetic field strength (7 tesla [T]), an accelerated edited magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging technique was developed and optimized for the human brain at 7 T.

Methods: A MEGA-sLASER sequence was used for GABA editing and volume selection to maximize editing efficiency and minimize chemical shift displacement errors. To accommodate the high bandwidth requirements at 7 T, a single-shot echo planar readout was used for rapid simultaneous encoding of the temporal dimension and 1 spatial.