Publications by authors named "Logan Prock"
Article Synopsis
- Diffusion MRI of the spinal cord faces challenges due to geometric distortions and motion artifacts, which can lead to issues with image alignment and quality.
- This study examines two key techniques: susceptibility corrections for better geometric alignment and cardiac triggering to reduce motion artifacts during imaging.
- Results indicate that while susceptibility corrections improve alignment with high-contrast cerebrospinal fluid images, they do not necessarily enhance spinal cord geometry or matter contrast; however, skipping cardiac triggering does not compromise image quality and allows for quicker scans.
Background: Imaging investigation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in multiple sclerosis (MS) is understudied. Development of noninvasive methods to detect pathological CSF changes would have a profound effect on MS diagnosis and would offer insight into MS pathophysiology and mechanisms of neurological impairment.
Objective: We propose magnetization transfer (MT) MRI as a tool to detect macromolecular changes in spinal CSF.
Article Synopsis
- Susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) has primarily been used in brain studies, particularly for conditions like multiple sclerosis (MS), but there's limited research on its application in the spinal cord.
- This study includes a comparison of the cervical spinal cord in 9 MS patients and 12 healthy controls using high-field SWI techniques, revealing significant vascular differences and unique lesion characteristics in the MS group.
- Results demonstrated better visibility of blood vessels and distinct changes associated with MS pathology, suggesting that SWI could enhance our understanding of spinal cord disease processes in MS patients.
Functional MRI (fMRI) of the spinal cord is an expanding area of research with potential to investigate neuronal activity in the central nervous system. We aimed to characterize the functional connectivity features of the human lumbar spinal cord using resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) at 3T, using region-based and data-driven analysis approaches. A 3D multi-shot gradient echo resting-state blood oxygenation level dependent-sensitive rs-fMRI protocol was implemented in 26 healthy participants.
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- * The study involved 26 RRMS patients and assessed tissue integrity using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), revealing lower fractional anisotropy (FA) and higher radial diffusivity (RD) in the normal white matter of RRMS patients compared to controls.
- * Higher FC in the dorsal sensory network was significantly linked to various markers of tissue damage, suggesting that increased connectivity may be a compensatory response to maintain sensory function despite structural damage in RRMS patients.