Investigating neural markers of Alzheimer's disease in posttraumatic stress disorder using machine learning algorithms and magnetic resonance imaging.

Introduction: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health disorder caused by experiencing or witnessing traumatic events. Recent studies show that patients with PTSD have an increased risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), but there is currently no way to predict which patients will go on to develop AD. The objective of this study was to identify structural and functional neural changes in patients with PTSD that may contribute to the future development of AD.

Radionuclide Imaging of the Neuroanatomical and Neurochemical Substrate of Cognitive Decline in Parkinson's Disease.

Cognitive impairment is a frequent manifestation of Parkinson's disease (PD), resulting in decrease in patients' quality of life and increased societal and economic burden. However, cognitive decline in PD is highly heterogenous and the mechanisms are poorly understood. Radionuclide imaging techniques like positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) have been used to investigate the neurochemical and neuroanatomical substrate of cognitive decline in PD.

Neuroanatomical Signature of the Transition from Normal Cognition to MCI in Parkinson's Disease.

The progression of Parkinson's disease (PD) is often accompanied by cognitive decline. We had previously developed a brain age estimation program utilizing structural MRI data of 949 healthy individuals from publicly available sources. Structural MRI data of 244 PD patients who were cognitively normal at baseline was acquired from the Parkinson Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI).

The Difference Between Expert Dancers' and Non-Dancers Tapping Timing With and Without an Auditory Stimulus at a Slow Tempo.

Our primary purpose in this study was to determine whether trained dancers differed from untrained non-dancers in their ability to accurately control motor timing during finger and heel tapping tasks, both with and without slow isochronous auditory stimuli. Dancers and non-dancers were instructed to synchronize their taps with isochronous auditory stimuli under three conditions: 30, 40, and 50 BPM. After the synchronization phase, participants were asked to continue tapping without the auditory sequences.

Predicting the occurrence of mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease using structural MRI data.

Introduction: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a common symptom observed in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) and a main risk factor for progressing to dementia. Our objective was to identify early anatomical brain changes that precede the transition from healthy cognition to MCI in PD.

Methods: Structural T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging data of PD patients with healthy cognition at baseline were downloaded from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative database.

High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation desynchronizes refractory status epilepticus.

Recently, we showed that high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (hd-tDCS) can acutely reduce epileptic spike rates during and after stimulation in refractory status epilepticus (RSE), with a greater likelihood of patient discharge from the intensive care unit compared to historical controls. We investigate whether electroencephalographic (EEG) desynchronization during hd-tDCS can help account for observed anti-epileptic effects. Defining desynchronization as greater power in higher frequencies such as above 30 ​Hz ("gamma") and lesser power in frequency bands lower than 30 ​Hz, we analyzed 27 EEG sessions from 10 RSE patients who had received 20-minute session(s) of 2-milliamperes of transcranial direct current custom-targeted at the epileptic focus as previously determined by a clinical EEGer monitoring the EEG in real-time.

Do Epilepsy Patients with Cognitive Impairment Have Alzheimer's Disease-like Brain Metabolism?

Although not classically considered together, there is emerging evidence that Alzheimer's disease (AD) and epilepsy share a number of features and that each disease predisposes patients to developing the other. Using machine learning, we have previously developed an automated fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) reading program (i.e.

A Pilot Study of High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Refractory Status Epilepticus: The SURESTEP Trial.

Refractory status epilepticus (RSE) is a life-threatening emergency with high mortality and poor functional outcomes in survivors. Treatment is typically limited to intravenous anesthetic infusions and multiple anti-seizure medications. While ongoing seizures can cause permanent neurological damage, medical therapies also pose severe and life-threatening side effects.

Predicting cognitive decline in Parkinson's disease using FDG-PET-based supervised learning.

BackgroundCognitive impairment is a common symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD) that increases in risk and severity as the disease progresses. An accurate prediction of the risk of progression from the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) stage to the dementia (PDD) stage is an unmet clinical need.MethodsWe investigated the use of a supervised learning algorithm called the support vector machine (SVM) to retrospectively stratify patients on the basis of brain fluorodeoxyglucose-PET (FDG-PET) scans.

Novel Analysis Identifying Functional Connectivity Patterns Associated with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent psychiatric disorder that can result from experiencing traumatic events. Accurate diagnosis and optimal treatment strategies can be difficult to achieve, due to the heterogeneous etiology and symptomology of PTSD, and overlap with other psychiatric disorders. Advancing our understanding of PTSD pathophysiology is therefore critical.

Age-related reduction of hemispheric asymmetry by pigeons: A behavioral and FDG-PET imaging investigation of visual discrimination.

Pigeons are long-lived and slowly aging animals that present a distinct opportunity to further our understanding of age-related brain changes. Generally, for pigeons, the left hemisphere contributes to discrimination of local information, whereas the right contributes to processing of global information. The function of each hemisphere may be examined by covering one eye, as the optic nerves decussate almost completely in birds, directing the majority of visual information to the contralateral hemisphere.

Metabolic imaging and plasticity.

Positron emission tomography greatly advanced our understanding on the underlying neural mechanisms of movement disorders. PET with flurodeoxyglucose (FDG) is especially useful as it depicts regional metabolic activity level that can predict patients' symptoms. Multivariate pattern analysis has been used to determine and quantify the co-varying brain networks associated with specific clinical traits of neurodegenerative disease.

Alzheimer's Disease-Related Metabolic Pattern in Diverse Forms of Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Dementia is broadly characterized by cognitive and psychological dysfunction that significantly impairs daily functioning. Dementia has many causes including Alzheimer's disease (AD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). Detection and differential diagnosis in the early stages of dementia remains challenging.

Integrative Neuroinformatics for Precision Prognostication and Personalized Therapeutics in Moderate and Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.

Despite changes in guideline-based management of moderate/severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) over the preceding decades, little impact on mortality and morbidity have been seen. This argues against the "one-treatment fits all" approach to such management strategies. With this, some preliminary advances in the area of personalized medicine in TBI care have displayed promising results.

Computerized Dual-Task Testing of Gait Visuomotor and Cognitive Functions in Parkinson's Disease: Test-Retest Reliability and Validity.

Background: Mobility and cognitive impairments in Parkinson's disease (PD) often coexist and are prognostic of adverse health events. Consequently, assessment and training that simultaneously address both gait function and cognition are important to consider in rehabilitation and promotion of healthy aging. For this purpose, a computer game-based rehabilitation treadmill platform (GRP) was developed for dual-task (DT) assessment and training.

Hypermetabolic Cerebellar Connectome in Alzheimer's Disease.

Regional hypermetabolism in Alzheimer's disease (AD), especially in the cerebellum, has been consistently observed but often neglected as an artefact produced by the commonly used proportional scaling procedure in the statistical parametric mapping. We hypothesize that the hypermetabolic regions are also important in disease pathology in AD. Using fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) images from 88 AD subjects and 88 age-sex matched normal controls (NL) from the publicly available Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative database, we developed a general linear model-based classifier that differentiated AD patients from normal individuals (sensitivity = 87.

Changes in Metabolic Activity and Gait Function by Dual-Task Cognitive Game-Based Treadmill System in Parkinson's Disease: Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Balance and gait impairments, and consequently, mobility restrictions and falls are common in Parkinson's disease (PD). Various cognitive deficits are also common in PD and are associated with increased fall risk. These mobility and cognitive deficits are limiting factors in a person's health, ability to perform activities of daily living, and overall quality of life.

Schizophrenia-associated LRRTM1 regulates cognitive behavior through controlling synaptic function in the mediodorsal thalamus.

Reduced activity of the mediodorsal thalamus (MD) and abnormal functional connectivity of the MD with the prefrontal cortex (PFC) cause cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. However, the molecular basis of MD hypofunction in schizophrenia is not known. Here, we identified leucine-rich-repeat transmembrane neuronal protein 1 (LRRTM1), a postsynaptic cell-adhesion molecule, as a key regulator of excitatory synaptic function and excitation-inhibition balance in the MD.

Skill level and the free moment during a pistol aiming task.

The present study investigated the transversal rotation of body and its relation to the horizontal movement for expert shooters and novices in a pistol aiming task. Participants stood on a force plate with an air pistol and aimed it to the centre of a target, positioned 1.4 m above the floor and 10 m away from the force plate, for 30 s as accurately as possible.

Modulating brain networks associated with cognitive deficits in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a relatively well characterised neurological disorder that primarily affects motor and cognitive functions. This paper reviews on how transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can be used to modulate brain networks associated with cognitive deficits in PD. We first provide an overview of brain network abnormalities in PD, by introducing the brain network modulation approaches such as pharmacological interventions and brain stimulation techniques.