Midterm follow-up after embolization of intracranial aneurysms proximal to the circle of Willis with the Silk Vista flow diverter: the I-MAMA registry.

Purpose: The aim of this registry was to assess technical success, procedural safety and mid- to long-term follow-up results of the Silk Vista "Mama" (SVM) flow diverter (BALT, Montmorency, France) for the treatment of proximal intracranial aneurysms.

Methods: Between August 2020 and March 2022, data from nine Italian neurovascular centres were collected. Data included patients' clinical presentation, aneurysms' size, location and status, technical details, overall complications and mid- to long-term angiographic follow-up.

Structural Brain Network Reorganization Following Anterior Callosotomy for Colloid Cysts: Connectometry and Graph Analysis Results.

Introduction: The plasticity of the neural circuits after injuries has been extensively investigated over the last decades. Transcallosal microsurgery for lesions affecting the third ventricle offers an interesting opportunity to investigate the whole-brain white matter reorganization occurring after a selective resection of the genu of the corpus callosum (CC).

Method: Diffusion MRI (dMRI) data and neuropsychological testing were collected pre- and postoperatively in six patients with colloid cysts, surgically treated with a transcallosal-transgenual approach.

Simplified pressure cooker technique for the treatment of brain AVMs, dAVFs and facial vascular malformations.

In 2014, Chapot et al. introduced the pressure cooker technique (PCT), conceived to control undesired reflux of the embolic agent during the treatment of brain arterio-venous malformations (bAVMs). Since then, this technique increased in popularity and it has been extensively used.

Cortical Hyper-Connectivity in a Stroke Patient with Rotated Drawing.

In the present case report, we investigated the cortical networks of a patient (DDA) affected by right parietal stroke who showed a constructional phenomenon, in which when coping and recalling from memory a complex figure, the model was reproduced rotated of 90° along the vertical axis. Previous studies suggested that rotation on copy is associated with visuospatial impairments and abnormalities in parietal cortex, whereas rotation on recall might be related to executive deficits and dysfunction of frontal regions. Here, we computed the DDA's resting-state functional connectivity (FC) derived from cortical regions of the dorsal attention (DAN) and the frontal portion of the executive-control network (fECN), which are involved in the control of visuospatial attention and multiple executive functions, respectively.

Brain Topological Reorganization Associated with Visual Neglect After Stroke.

To identify brain hubs that are behaviorally relevant for neglect after stroke as well as to characterize their functional architecture of communication. Twenty acute right hemisphere damaged patients underwent neuropsychological and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging sessions. Spatial neglect was assessed by means of the Center of Cancellation on the Bells Cancellation Test.

Pre-surgical fMRI Localization of the Hand Motor Cortex in Brain Tumors: Comparison Between Finger Tapping Task and a New Visual-Triggered Finger Movement Task.

Pre-surgical mapping is clinically essential in the surgical management of brain tumors to preserve functions. A common technique to localize eloquent areas is functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In tumors involving the peri-rolandic regions, the finger tapping task (FTT) is typically administered to delineate the functional activation of hand-knob area.

Brain Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Highlights Altered Connections and Functional Networks in Patients With Hypertension.

Hypertension is one of the main risk factors for vascular dementia and Alzheimer disease. To predict the onset of these diseases, it is necessary to develop tools to detect the early effects of vascular risk factors on the brain. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging can investigate how the brain modulates its resting activity and analyze how hypertension impacts cerebral function.

Persistent trigeminal artery aneurysms: case report and systematic review.

Background: The persistent trigeminal artery (PTA) is an adult carotid-basilar anastomosis with debated pathologic aspects, such as its association with brain aneurysms. True trigeminal artery aneurysms are rare vascular anomalies, reported in a few case reports.

Objective: To report our experience with a ruptured trigeminal artery aneurysm and to provide a systematic review of the literature in order to analyse potential links between the anatomic configuration of the PTA and PTA aneurysm (PTAA) type, and implications of each PTAA type for the diagnostic and therapeutic approach.

White matter rather than gray matter damage characterizes essential tremor.

Objectives: We investigated changes in gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) in the whole brain, including both cortical and subcortical structures, and their relationship with tremor severity, psychiatric symptoms, and cognitive impairment in patients affected by essential tremor (ET).

Methods: We studied 19 ET patients and 15 healthy subjects (HS). All the subjects underwent a 3-T MRI study based on 3D-T1 and diffusion tensor images.

Aberrant functional connectivity in patients with Parkinson's disease and freezing of gait: a within- and between-network analysis.

Freezing of gait (FOG) is a disabling motor symptom that affects patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). MRI-based evidence suggest that multiple brain structures are involved in the occurrence of FOG. We investigated the integrity of the neuronal networks in PD patients with FOG (PD-FOG), considering both within-network resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) and between-network rsFC.

Unilateral Stimulation of Subthalamic Nucleus Does Not Affect Inhibitory Control.

Despite the relevance of inhibitory control in shaping our behavior its neural substrates are still hotly debated. In this regard, it has been suggested that inhibitory control relies upon a right-lateralized network which involves the right subthalamic nucleus (STN). To assess the role of STN, we took advantage of a relatively rare model, i.

Abnormal Cerebellar Connectivity Patterns in Patients with Parkinson's Disease and Freezing of Gait.

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the importance of cerebellum in freezing of gait (FOG) pathophysiology. Due to the fundamental role of the cerebellum in posture and gait control, we examined cerebellar structural and functional connectivity (FC) in patients with PD and FOG. We recruited 15 PD with FOG (PD-FOG), 16 PD without FOG (PD-nFOG) patients, and 16 healthy subjects (HS).

Brain MRI fiber-tracking reveals white matter alterations in hypertensive patients without damage at conventional neuroimaging.

Aims: Hypertension is one of the main risk factor for dementia. The subtle damage provoked by chronic high blood pressure in the brain is usually evidenced by conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in terms of white matter (WM) hyperintensities or cerebral atrophy. However, it is clear that by the time brain damage is visible, it may be too late hampering neurodegeneration.

Brain Gliomas: Multicenter Standardized Assessment of Dynamic Contrast-enhanced and Dynamic Susceptibility Contrast MR Images.

Purpose To evaluate the feasibility of a standardized protocol for acquisition and analysis of dynamic contrast material-enhanced (DCE) and dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in a multicenter clinical setting and to verify its accuracy in predicting glioma grade according to the new World Health Organization 2016 classification. Materials and Methods The local research ethics committees of all centers approved the study, and informed consent was obtained from patients. One hundred patients with glioma were prospectively examined at 3.

Freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease: gray and white matter abnormalities.

Freezing of gait (FOG) is a disabling disorder that often affects Parkinson's disease (PD) patients in advanced stages of the disease. To study structural gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) changes in PD patients with and without FOG, twenty-one PD patients with FOG (PD-FOG), 16 PD patients without FOG (PD-nFOG) and 19 healthy subjects (HS) underwent a standardized MRI protocol. For the gray matter evaluation, cortical volume (CV), cortical thickness (CTh), and surface area (SA) were analyzed using the FreeSurfer pipeline.

Effects of postural exercises in patients with Parkinson's disease and Pisa syndrome: A pilot study.

Background: Pisa syndrome (PS) or lateral axial dystonia is often seen in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). It is characterized by a marked and reversible lateral flexion of the trunk (LFT) more than 10°.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of a program of postural exercises and assess the effectiveness in term of pattern of muscular hyperactivity.

Temporal pole abnormalities detected by 3 T MRI in temporal lobe epilepsy due to hippocampal sclerosis: No influence on seizure outcome after surgery.

Purpose: To assess the clinical significance of temporal pole abnormalities (temporopolar blurring, TB, and temporopolar atrophy, TA) detected by using 3 Tesla MRI in the preoperative workup in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy due to hippocampal sclerosis (TLE-HS) who underwent surgery.

Methods: We studied 78 consecutive patients with TLE-HS who underwent surgery and were followed up for at least 2 years. Based on findings of pre-surgical 3 Tesla MRI, patients were subdivided in subgroups according to the presence of TB or TA.

Third-generation percutaneous vertebral augmentation systems.

Currently, there is no general consensus about the management of osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVF). In the past, conservative treatment for at least one month was deemed appropriate for the majority of vertebral fractures. When pain persisted after conservative treatment, it was necessary to consider surgical interventions including: vertebroplasty for vertebral fractures with less than 30% loss of height of the affected vertebral body and kyphoplasty for vertebral fractures with greater than 30% loss of height.

Hemorrhagic transformation of acute ischemic stroke is limited in hypertensive patients with cardiac hypertrophy.

Background: It has been clearly demonstrated that hypertension and one of its main evoked effects, cardiac hypertrophy, are independent risk factors for ischemic stroke. However, the ischemic brain lesions can further be affected by a second wave of injury characterized by hemorrhagic transformation (HT) of the primary ischemic lesion, which significantly aggravates the clinical outcome. So far, the risk factors that could affect such a transition in hypertensive patients are still unclear.

Molecular imaging of brain tumors with radiolabeled choline PET.

Several positron emission tomography (PET) radiopharmaceuticals have been emerged in the last decade as feasible in the management of brain lesions, due to the low performance in this field of the 18F-fluoro-deoxyglucose (18F-FDG), for its high physiological gradient of distribution in the brain. Beyond its usefulness in prostate cancer imaging, the radiolabeled choline is becoming a promising tool in diagnosing benign and malignant lesions of the brain, due to a very low rate of distribution in normal white and grey matters. The aim of our review was to assess the real impact of the radiolabeled choline PET/CT in the management of brain benign lesions, brain tumors, and metastases.

18F-DOPA PET/CT and MRI Findings in a Patient With Multiple Meningiomas.

A 56-year-old man was referred to our Department for a 2-year story of upper limb tremor, severe headache, and episodes of confusion. Brain F-DOPA PET/CT showed multiple areas of tracer uptake in the two hemispheres of the brain. Subsequent MRI displayed demyelinating foci with high contrast enhancement.

Temporal pole abnormalities in temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis: Clinical significance and seizure outcome after surgery.

Purpose: To assess the clinical significance of temporal pole abnormalities (temporopolar blurring, TB, and temporopolar atrophy, TA) in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and hippocampal sclerosis (HS) with a long post-surgical follow-up.

Methods: We studied 60 consecutive patients with TLE-HS and 1.5 preoperative MRI scans who underwent surgery and were followed up for at least 5 years (mean follow-up 7.

In vitro and in vivo effect of human lactoferrin on glioblastoma growth.

Object: Human lactoferrin (HLF) is a natural protein with antitumor activity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of HLF alone and in combination with temozolomide (TMZ), a conventional chemotherapeutic, on human glioblastoma (GBM) cells.

Methods: The authors cultured fresh human primary cell lines NMD and FN and the continuous cell line U87MG to evaluate proliferation in the presence of HLF alone at different doses (1, 10, and 100 mg/ml, and 1 mg/ml) and in combination with TMZ.