Patients with irritable bowel syndrome have altered emotional modulation of neural responses to visceral stimuli.

Background & Aims: In patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), pain amplification and hypervigilance might result from altered affective-motivational modulation of the pain response. We investigated the effects of emotional context on the behavioral and neural response to visceral stimuli in IBS patients.

Methods: We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess the blood oxygen level-dependent response to nonpainful and painful rectal distensions in 15 female IBS patients and 12 healthy women.

Balance control in sitting and standing in children and young adults with benign cerebellar tumors.

Children and young adolescents with chronic surgical cerebellar lesions show persistent balance control problems during standing when lesions affect the deep cerebellar fastigial and adjacent interposed nuclei. The purpose of this study is to confirm that the same lesion sites are also associated with permanent signs of trunkal ataxia during sitting. A second aim is to demonstrate that examining the postural control of patients while sitting or standing on a foam cushion may constitute a simple clinical exam yielding results commensurate to a more involved dynamic posturography exam.

Assessing a dysplastic cerebellar gangliocytoma (Lhermitte-Duclos disease) with 7T MR imaging.

Lhermitte-Duclos disease (LDD; dysplastic cerebellar gangliocytoma) is a rare hamartomatous lesion of the cerebellar cortex and this was first described in 1920. LDD is considered to be part of the autosomal-dominant phacomatosis and cancer syndrome Cowden disease (CS). We examined the brain of a 46-year-old man, who displayed the manifestations of CS, with 7 Tesla (T) and 1.

Activation of the A(3) adenosine receptor inhibits fMLP-induced Rac activation in mouse bone marrow neutrophils.

Adenosine is released from injured or hypoxic tissues where it exerts numerous anti-inflammatory effects including suppression of neutrophil functions. Although most previous work has implicated the A(2A)AR, we have recently shown that selective activation of the abundantly expressed A(3)AR inhibits neutrophil superoxide production and chemotaxis providing a potential mechanistic explanation for the efficacy of A(3)AR agonists in experimental animal models of inflammation. In this study, we hypothesized that the A(3)AR suppresses neutrophil functions by inhibiting the monomeric GTPase Rac, a central regulator of chemokine-directed neutrophil migration and superoxide production.

Cycle and gender-specific cerebral activation during a verb generation task using fMRI: comparison of women in different cycle phases, under oral contraception, and men.

Recent observations have revealed some evidence of the influence of sex and menstrual cycle on cognitive functions. In order to examine further differences depending on different phases of menstrual cycle, the use of oral contraception, and gender, fMRI during verb generation tests was performed in 12 female volunteers at menstrual phase and at luteal phase, 12 female volunteers under oral contraception, and in 12 men. Females under oral contraception compared to females in the menstrual or luteal phase revealed superior activation during verb generation in the right hemisphere; compared to menstrual phase in the superior temporal and in the luteal phase in the inferior frontal cortex.

Synthesis and pharmacological characterization of [(125)I]MRS5127, a high affinity, selective agonist radioligand for the A3 adenosine receptor.

A recently reported selective agonist of the human A(3) adenosine receptor (hA(3)AR), MRS5127 (1'R,2'R,3'S,4'R,5'S)-4'-[2-chloro-6-(3-iodobenzylamino)-purine]-2',3'-O-dihydroxy-bicyclo-[3.1.0]hexane, was radioiodinated and characterized pharmacologically.

Cerebral cavernous hemangiomas at 7 Tesla: initial experience.

Rationale And Objectives: Cavernous malformations (cavernomas) occur in 0.4%-0.9% of the population.

Visuomotor adaptive improvement and aftereffects are impaired differentially following cerebellar lesions in SCA and PICA territory.

The aim of the present study was to elucidate the contribution of the superior and posterior inferior cerebellum to adaptive improvement and aftereffects in a visuomotor adaptation task. Nine patients with ischemic lesions within the territory of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA), six patients with ischemic lesions within the territory of the superior cerebellar artery (SCA) and 17 age-matched controls participated. All subjects performed center-out reaching movements under 60 degrees rotation of visual feedback.

Timing of conditioned eyeblink responses is impaired in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Structural changes of the cerebellum have been reported in several psychiatric diseases like schizophrenia, autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Beside behavioral deficits children with ADHD often show slight motor abnormalities. Cerebellar malfunction may contribute.

Gray matter changes related to chronic posttraumatic headache.

Background: Although up to 15% of patients with whiplash injury develop chronic headache, the basis and mechanisms of this posttraumatic headache are not well understood.

Methods: Thirty-two patients with posttraumatic headache following whiplash injury were investigated within 14 days after the accident and again after 3 months using magnetic resonance-based voxel-based morphometry. Twelve patients developed chronic headache lasting longer than 3 months and were studied a third time after 1 year.

Adenosine suppresses lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha production by murine macrophages through a protein kinase A- and exchange protein activated by cAMP-independent signaling pathway.

Adenosine is generated during tissue hypoxia and stress, which reduces inflammation by suppressing the activity of most immune cells. Among its various actions, adenosine suppresses the production of proinflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, through the cAMP-elevating A(2A) adenosine receptor (AR) subtype. In this study, we examined the signaling mechanisms by which A(2A)AR activation inhibits TNF-alpha production in thioglycollate-elicited mouse peritoneal macrophages.

Simulated car driving in fMRI--Cerebral activation patterns driving an unfamiliar and a familiar route.

Understanding the neuronal underpinnings of cognitive processes during car driving is essential to understanding the origin of automobile accidents. Using fMRI we aimed to reveal differences in activation distribution contrasting passively observing an unfamiliar versus a familiar route to analyse the importance of the degree of familiarity of a route on attention process. We developed a special driving simulation software known as "Mechanics & Traffic", which focuses on the physical properties of driving.

AVM resection after radiation therapy--clinico-morphological features and microsurgical results.

A subgroup of patients initially treated by radiosurgery underwent surgical resection because of recurrent hemorrhage or neurological deterioration. In a retrospective study, we want to analyze the clinical features of these patients and evaluate the effect of microneurosurgery in such rare constellations. Moreover, we hope to find answers about failure of radiation therapy in these cases by correlation of radiobiological and histopathological data.

High-resolution MRI of the human parotid gland and duct at 7 Tesla.

Objectives: MR techniques have been reported as an alternative to conventional sialography. High-field systems (7 T) provide new contrasts coupled with increased signal-to-noise ratio, and hence higher spatial resolution. To our knowledge, no measurements of the parotid gland at 7 T have been reported.

Affective disturbances modulate the neural processing of visceral pain stimuli in irritable bowel syndrome: an fMRI study.

Objective: To address the role of anxiety and depression symptoms in altered pain processing in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Design: In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study, the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) response to rectal distensions delivered at previously determined individual discomfort thresholds was assessed.

Patients: 15 female patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and with normal rectal pain thresholds, and 12 healthy women.

Current advances in lesion-symptom mapping of the human cerebellum.

While high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) combined with newer analysis methods has become a powerful tool in human cerebral lesion studies, comparatively few studies have used these advanced imaging techniques to study lesions of the human cerebellum and their associated symptoms. This review will summarize the methodology of MRI-based lesion-symptom mapping of the human cerebellum and discuss its potential for gaining insights into cerebellar function. The investigation of patients with defined focal lesions yields the greatest potential for obtaining meaningful correlations between lesion site and behavioral deficits.

Effects of psychological stress on the cerebral processing of visceral stimuli in healthy women.

The aim of the study was to analyse effects of psychological stress on the neural processing of visceral stimuli in healthy women. The brain functional magnetic resonance imaging blood oxygen level-dependent response to non-painful and painful rectal distensions was recorded from 14 healthy women during acute psychological stress and a control condition. Acute stress was induced with a modified public speaking stress paradigm.

Adaptation to visuomotor rotation and force field perturbation is correlated to different brain areas in patients with cerebellar degeneration.

Although it is widely agreed that the cerebellum is necessary for learning and consolidation of new motor tasks, it is not known whether adaptation to kinematic and dynamic errors is processed by the same cerebellar areas or whether different parts play a decisive role. We investigated arm movements in a visuomotor (VM) rotation and a force field (FF) perturbation task in 14 participants with cerebellar degeneration and 14 age- and gender-matched controls. Magnetic resonance images were used to calculate the volume of cerebellar areas (medial, intermediate, and lateral zones of the anterior and posterior lobes) and to identify cerebellar structure important for the two tasks.

Characterization of the A2B adenosine receptor from mouse, rabbit, and dog.

We have cloned and pharmacologically characterized the A(2B) adenosine receptor (AR) from the dog, rabbit, and mouse. The full coding regions of the dog and mouse A(2B)AR were obtained by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, and the rabbit A(2B)AR cDNA was obtained by screening a rabbit brain cDNA library. It is noteworthy that an additional clone was isolated by library screening that was identical in sequence to the full-length rabbit A(2B)AR, with the exception of a 27-base pair deletion in the region encoding amino acids 103 to 111 (A(2B)AR(103-111)).

Size-weight illusion, anticipation, and adaptation of fingertip forces in patients with cerebellar degeneration.

The smaller of two equally weighted objects is judged to be heavier when lifted (size-weight illusion [SWI]). In contrast, fingertip forces show an initial size effect but adapt to the true object weights within a few trials. The aim of this study was to investigate possible contributions of the cerebellum to SWI, force anticipation, and adaptation based on object size and weight.

Postural and gait performance in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Up to 50% of children and adolescents with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) exhibit motor abnormalities including altered balance. Results from brain imaging studies indicate that these balance deficits could be of cerebellar origin as ADHD children may show atrophy in those regions of the cerebellum associated with gait and balance control. To address this question, this study investigated postural and gait abilities in ADHD children and compared their static and dynamic balance with children with known lesions in the cerebellum.

Lesion-symptom mapping of the human cerebellum.

High-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become a powerful tool in human cerebellar lesion studies. Structural MRI is helpful to analyse the localisation and extent of cerebellar lesions and to determine possible extracerebellar involvement. Functionally meaningful correlations between a cerebellar lesion site and behavioural data can be obtained both in subjects with degenerative as well as focal cerebellar disorders.

Embolization of intracranial arteriovenous malformations with ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (Onyx).

Background And Purpose: Endovascular therapy of intracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) is increasingly used. However, it is still under discussion which embolic material is optimal. We report our experience in the treatment of AVMs with ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (Onyx).

The influence of focal cerebellar lesions on the control and adaptation of gait.

Cerebellar ataxic gait is influenced greatly by balance disorders, most likely caused by lesions of the medial zone of the cerebellum. The contributions of the intermediate and lateral zone to the control of limb dynamics for gait and the adaptation of locomotor patterns are less well understood. In this study, we analysed locomotion and goal-directed leg movements in 12 patients with chronic focal lesions after resection of benign cerebellar tumours.