Mouse serum albumin induces neuronal apoptosis and tauopathies.

The elderly frequently present impaired blood-brain barrier which is closely associated with various neurodegenerative diseases. However, how the albumin, the most abundant protein in the plasma, leaking through the disrupted BBB, contributes to the neuropathology remains poorly understood. We here demonstrated that mouse serum albumin-activated microglia induced astrocytes to A1 phenotype to remarkably increase levels of Elovl1, an astrocytic synthase for very long-chain saturated fatty acids, significantly promoting VLSFAs secretion and causing neuronal lippoapoptosis through endoplasmic reticulum stress response pathway.

Fully Automated Segmentation of Human Eyeball Using Three-Dimensional U-Net in T2 Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Purpose: To develop and validate a fully automated deep-learning-based tool for segmentation of the human eyeball using a three-dimensional (3D) U-Net, compare its performance to semiautomatic segmentation ground truth and a two-dimensional (2D) U-Net, and analyze age and sex differences in eyeball volume, as well as gaze-dependent volume consistency in normal subjects.

Methods: We retrospectively collected 474 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, including different gazing scans, from 119 patients. A 10-fold cross-validation was applied to separate the dataset into training, test, and validation sets for both the 3D U-Net and 2D U-Net.

Prediction of Amyloid β-Positivity with both MRI Parameters and Cognitive Function Using Machine Learning.

Purpose: To investigate the MRI markers for the prediction of amyloid β (Aβ)-positivity in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), and to evaluate the differences in MRI markers between Aβ-positive (Aβ [+]) and -negative groups using the machine learning (ML) method.

Materials And Methods: This study included 139 patients with MCI and AD who underwent amyloid PET-CT and brain MRI. Patients were divided into Aβ (+) ( = 84) and Aβ-negative ( = 55) groups.

Quantitative evaluation of intraorbital optic nerve in optic atrophy using diffusion tensor imaging.

The aim of this study is to quantitatively investigate the microstructural properties of the optic nerve (ON) in vivo using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in patients with unilateral optic atrophy (OA) and to determine their association with retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness of the optic nerve head (ONH). Six patients with unilateral OA and 11 control subjects underwent DTI. ONs from ONH to the orbital apex were tracked.

Classification of Preschoolers with Low-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Multimodal MRI Data.

Multimodal imaging studies targeting preschoolers and low-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients are scarce. We applied machine learning classifiers to parameters from T1-weighted MRI and DTI data of 58 children with ASD (age 3-6 years) and 48 typically developing controls (TDC). Classification performance reached an accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 88.

Analysis of Normal Optic Nerve in an Elderly Population Using Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging Tractography.

To quantitatively investigate the microstructural properties of the optic nerve (ON) using diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) tractography in an elderly population and to determine the differences between the ON diffusion properties stratified by basic demographics. We measured fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), radial diffusivity (RD), and axial diffusivity (AD) of the intraorbital ON in cognitively normal controls selected from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative 3 database ( =104; mean age = 73. 8 ± 8.

Quantitative Analysis of Eyeball Rotation During Lateral Gaze in Intermittent Exotropia: A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

Purpose: To evaluate the eyeball rotation during lateral gaze in patients with intermittent exotropia (IXT) using three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods: In this prospective observational study, patients with IXT (n = 29) underwent orbital MRI during central, right, and left gazes. Fixation targets were placed at a 40° angle for lateral gaze.

Structural connectivity networks in Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body disease.

Objective: We evaluated disruption of the white matter (WM) network related with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Lewy body disease (LBD), which includes Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies.

Methods: We consecutively recruited 37 controls and 77 patients with AD-related cognitive impairment (ADCI) and/or LBD-related cognitive impairment (LBCI). Diagnoses of ADCI and LBCI were supported by amyloid PET and dopamine transporter PET, respectively.

Contrast-enhanced T1-weighted image radiomics of brain metastases may predict EGFR mutation status in primary lung cancer.

Identification of EGFR mutations is critical to the treatment of primary lung cancer and brain metastases (BMs). Here, we explored whether radiomic features of contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images (T1WIs) of BMs predict EGFR mutation status in primary lung cancer cases. In total, 1209 features were extracted from the contrast-enhanced T1WIs of 61 patients with 210 measurable BMs.

Identification of Novel Genes Associated with Cortical Thickness in Alzheimer's Disease: Systems Biology Approach to Neuroimaging Endophenotype.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a heterogeneous distribution of pathological changes in the brain. Cortical thickness is one of the most sensitive imaging biomarkers for AD representing structural atrophy. The purpose of this study is to identify novel genes associated with cortical thickness.

Brain structural changes after multi-strategic metamemory training in older adults with subjective memory complaints: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Metamemory is the process of monitoring and controlling one's memory. Improving metamemory may reduce the memory problem in old age. We hypothesized that metamemory training (MMT) would improve cognition in older adults with subjective memory complaints and change the brain region related to metacognition.

Trajectories of Physiological Brain Aging and Related Factors in People Aged from 20 to over-80.

Background/objective: In this study, we investigated a long-term trajectory of brain aging (from the 20 s to over-80) in cognitively normal (CN) individuals. We further determined whether differences in sex, education years, and apolipoprotein E ε 4 status affect age-related cortical thinning.

Methods: A total of 2,944 CN individuals who underwent high-resolution (3.

Longitudinal outcomes of amyloid positive versus negative amnestic mild cognitive impairments: a three-year longitudinal study.

We aimed to compare the longitudinal outcome of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) patients with significant Pittsburgh Compound B uptake [PiB(+) aMCI] and those without [PiB(-) aMCI]. Cerebral β-amyloid was measured in 47 patients with aMCI using PiB-positron emission tomography (PET) (31 PiB(+) aMCI and 16 PiB(-) aMCI). Clinical (N = 47) and neuropsychological follow-up (N = 37), and follow-up with brain magnetic resonance imaging (N = 38) and PiB-PET (N = 30) were performed for three years.

Neural predictors of cognitive improvement by multi-strategic memory training based on metamemory in older adults with subjective memory complaints.

Previous studies have indicated that memory training may help older people improve cognition. However, evidence regarding who will benefit from such memory trainings has not been fully discovered yet. Understanding the clinical and neural inter-individual differences for predicting cognitive improvement is important for maximizing the training efficacy of memory-training programs.

Correlations between Gray Matter and White Matter Degeneration in Pure Alzheimer's Disease, Pure Subcortical Vascular Dementia, and Mixed Dementia.

Alzheimer's disease dementia (ADD) and subcortical vascular dementia (SVaD) both show cortical thinning and white matter (WM) microstructural changes. We evaluated different patterns of correlation between gray matter (GM) and WM microstructural changes in pure ADD, pure SVaD, and mixed dementia. We enrolled 40 Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) positive ADD patients without WM hyperintensities (pure ADD), 32 PiB negative SVaD patients (pure SVaD), 23 PiB positive SVaD patients (mixed dementia), and 56 normal controls.

Protective effects of APOE e2 against disease progression in subcortical vascular mild cognitive impairment patients: A three-year longitudinal study.

Although the association between apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype and disease progression is well characterized in patients with Alzheimer's disease, such a relationship is unknown in patients with subcortical vascular cognitive impairment. We evaluated whether APOE genotype is associated with disease progression in subcortical vascular mild cognitive impairment (svMCI) patients. We prospectively recruited 72 svMCI patients (19 APOE4 carriers, 42 APOE3 homozygotes, and 11 APOE2 carriers).

Coronary artery calcium is associated with cortical thinning in cognitively normal individuals.

To evaluate the association between coronary artery calcium (CAC) and cortical thickness in a large sample of cognitively normal individuals, with special emphasis in determining if the association thickness has regional brain specificity and if it is mediated by white matter hyperintensities (WMH). A total of 512 participants were included in this study. CAC scores were assessed by multi-detector computed tomography.

Classifying anatomical subtypes of subjective memory impairment.

We aimed to categorize subjective memory impairment (SMI) individuals based on their patterns of cortical thickness and to propose simple models that can classify each subtype. We recruited 613 SMI individuals and 613 age- and gender-matched normal controls. Using hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis, SMI individuals were divided into 3 subtypes: temporal atrophy (12.

Relative impact of amyloid-β, lacunes, and downstream imaging markers on cognitive trajectories.

SEE COHEN DOI101093/AWW183 FOR A SCIENTIFIC COMMENTARY ON THIS ARTICLE: Amyloid-β and cerebral small vessel disease are the two major causes of cognitive impairment in the elderly. However, the underlying mechanisms responsible for precisely how amyloid-β and cerebral small vessel disease affect cognitive impairment remain unclear. We investigated the effects of amyloid-β and lacunes on downstream imaging markers including structural network and cortical thickness, further analysing their relative impact on cognitive trajectories.

Complementary Characteristics of Correlation Patterns in Morphometric Correlation Networks of Cortical Thickness, Surface Area, and Gray Matter Volume.

Morphometric correlation networks of cortical thickness, surface area, and gray matter volume have statistically different structural topology. However, there is no report directly describing their correlation patterns in view of interregional covariance. Here, we examined the characteristics of the correlation patterns in three morphometric networks of cortical thickness, surface area, and gray matter volume using a Venn diagram concept across 314 normal subjects.

Combined effects of physical exercise and education on age-related cortical thinning in cognitively normal individuals.

We investigated the association between self-reported physical exercise and cortical thickness in a large sample of cognitively normal individuals. We also determined whether a combination of physical exercise and education had more protective effects on age-related cortical thinning than either parameter alone. A total of 1,842 participants were included in this analysis.

Albuminuria, Cerebrovascular Disease and Cortical Atrophy: among Cognitively Normal Elderly Individuals.

We tested the hypothesis that decreased glomerular filtration rate and albuminuria have different roles in brain structure alterations. We enrolled 1,215 cognitively normal individuals, all of whom underwent high-resolution T1-weighted volumetric magnetic resonance imaging scans. The cerebral small vessel disease burdens were assessed with white matter hyperintensities (WMH), lacunes, and microbleeds.

Effects of education on aging-related cortical thinning among cognitively normal individuals.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the relationship between education and cortical thickness in cognitively normal individuals to determine whether education attenuated the association of advanced aging and cortical thinning.

Methods: A total of 1,959 participants, in whom education levels were available, were included in the final analysis. Cortical thickness was measured on high-resolution MRIs using a surface-based method.

Cognitive Impairment and Its Structural Correlates in the Parkinsonian Subtype of Multiple System Atrophy.

Background/aims: Previous studies indicate that patients with the parkinsonian subtype of multiple system atrophy (MSA-P) experience cognitive impairment. This study aimed to identify the existence of cognitive impairments and the different topographic patterns of morphological changes in MSA-P by means of imaging analysis, and also whether these morphological changes could be associated with cognitive dysfunctions in MSA-P.

Methods: We recruited 15 nondemented probable MSA-P patients and 32 normal controls (NC) for neuropsychological testing and MRI.