Association of Relative Brain Hyperperfusion Independent of Dopamine Depletion With Motor Dysfunction in Patients With Parkinson Disease.

Background And Objectives: Parkinson disease (PD) exhibits a characteristic pattern of brain perfusion or metabolism, thereby being considered network disorder. Using dual-phase -(3-fluoropropyl)-2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4-iodophenyl) nortropane (F-FP-CIT) PET, we investigated the role of brain perfusion in motor symptoms and disease progression, independent of striatal dopamine depletion.

Methods: We recruited patients with de novo PD and healthy controls (HCs) who underwent dual-phase F-FP-CIT PET and brain MRI.

Choroid Plexus Volume, Amyloid Burden, and Cognition in the Alzheimer's Disease Continuum.

As a part of the glymphatic system, the choroid plexus (CP) is involved in the clearance of harmful metabolites from the brain. We investigated the association between CP volume (CPV), amyloid-β (Aβ) burden, and cognition in patients on the Alzheimer's disease (AD) continuum. We retrospectively reviewed the records of 203 patients on the AD continuum and 82 healthy controls who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging and F-florbetaben positron emission tomography.

Seizure-induced LIN28A disrupts pattern separation via aberrant hippocampal neurogenesis.

Prolonged seizures can disrupt stem cell behavior in the adult hippocampus, an important brain structure for spatial memory. Here, using a mouse model of pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus (SE), we characterized spatiotemporal expression of Lin28a mRNA and proteins after SE. Unlike Lin28a transcripts, induction of LIN28A protein after SE was detected mainly in the subgranular zone, where immunoreactivity was found in progenitors, neuroblasts, and immature and mature granule neurons.

Different effect of hypo- and hypermetabolism on cognition in dementia with Lewy bodies: are they coupled or independent?

Patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) show widespread brain metabolic changes. This study investigated whether brain hypo- and hypermetabolism in DLB have differential effects on cognition. We enrolled 55 patients with DLB (15 prodromal DLB [MCI-LB] and 40 probable DLB) and 13 healthy controls who underwent F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and detailed neuropsychological tests.

Whole brain network effects of subcallosal cingulate deep brain stimulation for treatment-resistant depression.

Ongoing experimental studies of subcallosal cingulate deep brain stimulation (SCC DBS) for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) show a differential timeline of behavioral effects with rapid changes after initial stimulation, and both early and delayed changes over the course of ongoing chronic stimulation. This study examined the longitudinal resting-state regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) changes in intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs) with SCC DBS for TRD over 6 months and repeated the same analysis by glucose metabolite changes in a new cohort. A total of twenty-two patients with TRD, 17 [15 O]-water and 5 [18 F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) patients, received SCC DBS and were followed weekly for 7 months.

Cingulate dynamics track depression recovery with deep brain stimulation.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subcallosal cingulate (SCC) can provide long-term symptom relief for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). However, achieving stable recovery is unpredictable, typically requiring trial-and-error stimulation adjustments due to individual recovery trajectories and subjective symptom reporting. We currently lack objective brain-based biomarkers to guide clinical decisions by distinguishing natural transient mood fluctuations from situations requiring intervention.

Distinct amyloid-dependent patterns of nigra dopamine depletion in Lewy body diseases.

Introduction: Concomitant amyloid pathology is not uncommon and contributes to the clinical characteristics of Lewy body disease (LBD). We investigated the effect of amyloid on striatalF-FP-CIT uptake patterns in LBD, including Parkinson's disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies.

Methods: We enrolled 125 patients with LBD who underwentF-florbetaben positron emission tomography (PET) andF-FP-CIT PET.

Functional connectivity of salience and affective networks among remitted depressed patients predicts episode recurrence.

Recurrent episodes in major depressive disorder (MDD) are common but the neuroimaging features predictive of recurrence are not established. Participants in the Predictors of Remission in Depression to Individual and Combined Treatments (PReDICT) study who achieved remission after 12 weeks of treatment withcognitive behavior therapy, duloxetine, or escitalopram were prospectively monitored for up to 21 months for recurrence. Neuroimaging markers predictive of recurrence were identified from week 12 functional magnetic resonance imaging scans by analyzing whole-brain resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) using seeds for four brain networks that are altered in MDD.

Whole Brain Network effects of subcallosal cingulate deep brain stimulation for treatment-resistant depression.

Ongoing experimental studies of subcallosal cingulate deep brain stimulation (SCC DBS) for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) show a differential timeline of behavioral effects with rapid changes after initial stimulation, and both early and delayed changes over the course of ongoing chronic stimulation. This study examined the longitudinal resting-state regional cerebral blood ow (rCBF) changes in intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs) with SCC DBS for TRD over 6 months and repeated the same analysis by glucose metabolite changes in a new cohort. A total of twenty-two patients with TRD, 17 [15O]-water and 5 [18]-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) patients, received SCC DBS and were followed weekly for 7 months.

Phase shift optimization of III/V-on-bulk-Si DFB LD for single-mode stability.

A III/V-on-Bulk-Si DFB laser with a long phase shift section optimized for single-mode stability is presented. The optimized phase shift allows stable single-mode operations up to 20 times a threshold current. This mode stability is achieved by a gain difference between fundamental and higher modes maximized by sub-wavelength-scale tuning of the phase shift section.

Occipital Amyloid Deposition Is Associated with Rapid Cognitive Decline in the Alzheimer's Disease Continuum.

Background: Clinical significance of additional occipital amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques in Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains unclear.

Objective: In this study, we investigated the effect of regional Aβ deposition on cognition in patients on the AD continuum, especially in the occipital region.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical record of 208 patients with AD across the cognitive continuum (non-dementia and dementia).

Shared and Unique Changes in Brain Connectivity Among Depressed Patients After Remission With Pharmacotherapy Versus Psychotherapy.

Objective: The authors sought to determine the shared and unique changes in brain resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) between patients with major depressive disorder who achieved remission with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or with antidepressant medication.

Methods: The Predictors of Remission in Depression to Individual and Combined Treatments (PReDICT) trial randomized adults with treatment-naive major depressive disorder to 12 weeks of treatment with CBT (16 1-hour sessions) or medication (duloxetine 30-60 mg/day or escitalopram 10-20 mg/day). Resting-state functional MRI scans were performed at baseline and at week 12.

Association of Enlarged Perivascular Spaces With Amyloid Burden and Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer Disease Continuum.

Background And Objectives: To investigate the effects of enlarged perivascular space (EPVS) on amyloid burden and cognitive function in Alzheimer disease (AD) continuum.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 208 patients with AD across the cognitive continuum (preclinical, prodromal, and AD dementia) who showed amyloid deposition on F-florbetaben PET scans and 82 healthy controls. EPVSs were counted for each patient in the basal ganglia (BG), centrum semiovale (CSO), and hippocampus (HP) on axial T2-weighted images.

Treatment-Specific Hippocampal Subfield Volume Changes With Antidepressant Medication or Cognitive-Behavior Therapy in Treatment-Naive Depression.

Hippocampal atrophy has been consistently reported in major depressive disorder with more recent focus on subfields. However, literature on hippocampal volume changes after antidepressant treatment has been limited. The first-line treatments for depression include antidepressant medication (ADM) or cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT).

Indoxyl sulfate, a gut microbiome-derived uremic toxin, is associated with psychic anxiety and its functional magnetic resonance imaging-based neurologic signature.

It is unknown whether indoles, metabolites of tryptophan that are derived entirely from bacterial metabolism in the gut, are associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Serum samples (baseline, 12 weeks) were drawn from participants (n = 196) randomized to treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), escitalopram, or duloxetine for major depressive disorder. Baseline indoxyl sulfate abundance was positively correlated with severity of psychic anxiety and total anxiety and with resting state functional connectivity to a network that processes aversive stimuli (which includes the subcallosal cingulate cortex (SCC-FC), bilateral anterior insula, right anterior midcingulate cortex, and the right premotor areas).

Diffusion tensor imaging-based pontine damage as a degeneration marker in synucleinopathy.

The pons is one of the earliest affected regions in patients with synucleinopathies. We aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of measuring pontine damage using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in these patients. We enrolled 49 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), 16 patients with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (iRBD), 23 patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA), and 39 healthy controls in this study.

Altered cerebrocerebellar functional connectivity in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and its association with cognitive function.

Study Objectives: Previous functional MRI studies have reported altered brain networks in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, the extent and pattern of abnormal connectivity were inconsistent across studies, and cerebrocerebellar connections have been rarely assessed. We investigated functional network changes in cerebral and cerebellar cortices of OSA patients.

Minimal parkinsonism in the elderly is associated with striatal dopamine loss and pontine structural damage.

Introduction: To investigate whether neurodegeneration underlying Parkinson's disease (PD) accounts for a substantial proportion of cases of minimal parkinsonism in the elderly.

Methods: We recruited 48 consecutive subjects with minimal parkinsonism who visited the clinic with cognitive complaints. All subjects did not show findings compatible with PD on F-FP-CIT PET scans, and had no evidence of other neurodegenerative disorders.

Dysautonomia Is Linked to Striatal Dopamine Deficits and Regional Cerebral Perfusion in Early Parkinson Disease.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between autonomic dysfunction and striatal dopamine depletion or metabolic changes in de novo Parkinson disease (PD).

Methods: Based on the Composite Autonomic Severity Score (CASS), patients with de novo PD were classified into PD with (PD-AUT+) and without autonomic dysfunction (PD-AUT-) groups. We compared the dopamine transporter (DAT) availability in the striatum by quantitatively measuring F-FP-CIT PET between both groups.

Gender-specific effect of urate on white matter integrity in Parkinson's disease.

Objectives: To investigate the potential protective influence of serum uric acid (UA) level on white matter (WM) microstructural changes in de novo Parkinson's disease (PD).

Methods: We enrolled a total of 184 patients with drug-naïve de novo PD and 59 age and gender-matched controls that underwent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Based on the distribution, serum UA levels were stratified into tertiles in PD patients by gender.

Neurophysiological signatures in Alzheimer's disease are distinctly associated with TAU, amyloid-β accumulation, and cognitive decline.

Neural synchrony is intricately balanced in the normal resting brain but becomes altered in Alzheimer's disease (AD). To determine the neurophysiological manifestations associated with molecular biomarkers of AD neuropathology, in patients with AD, we used magnetoencephalographic imaging (MEGI) and positron emission tomography with amyloid-beta (Aβ) and TAU tracers. We found that alpha oscillations (8 to 12 Hz) were hyposynchronous in occipital and posterior temporoparietal cortices, whereas delta-theta oscillations (2 to 8 Hz) were hypersynchronous in frontal and anterior temporoparietal cortices, in patients with AD compared to age-matched controls.

Spatiotemporal expression of RCAN1 and its isoform in the mouse hippocampus after pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus.

Regulator of calcineurin 1 (RCAN1) can be induced by an intracellular calcium increase and oxidative stress, which are characteristic features of temporal lobe epilepsy. Thus, we investigated the spatiotemporal expression and cellular localization of RCAN1 protein and mRNA in the mouse hippocampus after pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus (SE). Male C57BL/6 mice were given pilocarpine hydrochloride (280 mg/kg, i.

Prospective longitudinal atrophy in Alzheimer's disease correlates with the intensity and topography of baseline tau-PET.

β-Amyloid plaques and tau-containing neurofibrillary tangles are the two neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and are thought to play crucial roles in a neurodegenerative cascade leading to dementia. Both lesions can now be visualized in vivo using positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracers, opening new opportunities to study disease mechanisms and improve patients' diagnostic and prognostic evaluation. In a group of 32 patients at early symptomatic AD stages, we tested whether β-amyloid and tau-PET could predict subsequent brain atrophy measured using longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging acquired at the time of PET and 15 months later.

Connected in cinema: educational effects of filmmaking classes on medical students.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore what the students experienced in short filmmaking class performed to 1st grade premedical students of a medical school, and to trace educational effects of the class.

Methods: Taking a qualitative approach, the authors used semi-structured interviews to collect the data. This study employed the quota sampling method to purposefully select students to interview.