Whole-body fasciculation detection in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis using motor unit MRI.

Objective: Compare fasciculation rates between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and healthy controls in body regions relevant for diagnosing ALS using motor unit MRI (MUMRI) at baseline and 6 months follow-up, and relate this to single-channel surface EMG (SEMG).

Methods: Tongue, biceps brachii, paraspinals and lower legs were assessed with MUMRI and biceps brachii and soleus with SEMG in 10 healthy controls and 10 patients (9 typical ALS, 1 primary lateral sclerosis [PLS]).

Results: MUMRI-detected fasciculation rates in typical ALS patients were higher compared to healthy controls for biceps brachii (2.

A study protocol to investigate if acipimox improves muscle function and sarcopenia: an open-label, uncontrolled, before-and-after experimental medicine feasibility study in community-dwelling older adults.

Introduction: Sarcopenia is the age-associated loss of muscle mass and strength. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) plays a central role in both mitochondrial function and cellular ageing processes implicated in sarcopenia. NAD concentrations are low in older people with sarcopenia, and increasing skeletal muscle NAD concentrations may offer a novel therapy for this condition.

Motor Unit Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MUMRI) In Skeletal Muscle.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is routinely used in the musculoskeletal system to measure skeletal muscle structure and pathology in health and disease. Recently, it has been shown that MRI also has promise for detecting the functional changes, which occur in muscles, commonly associated with a range of neuromuscular disorders. This review focuses on novel adaptations of MRI, which can detect the activity of the functional sub-units of skeletal muscle, the motor units, referred to as "motor unit MRI (MUMRI).

Whole Muscle and Single Motor Unit Twitch Profiles in a Healthy Adult Cohort Assessed With Phase Contrast Motor Unit MRI (PC-MUMRI).

Background: Motor units (MUs) control the contraction of muscles and degenerate with age. It is therefore of interest to measure whole muscle and MU twitch profiles in aging skeletal muscle.

Purpose: Apply phase contrast MU MRI (PC-MUMRI) in a cohort of healthy adults to measure whole anterior compartment, individual muscles, and single MU twitch profiles in the calf.

Perfusion MRI in the evaluation of brain metastases: current practice review and rationale for study of baseline MR perfusion imaging prior to stereotactic radiosurgery (STARBEAM-X).

Stereotactic radiosurgery is an established focal treatment for brain metastases with high local control rates. An important side-effect of stereotactic radiosurgery is the development of radionecrosis. On conventional MR imaging, radionecrosis and tumour progression often have similar appearances, but have contrasting management approaches.

In vivo 3D imaging of human motor units in upper and lower limb muscles.

Objective: To assess in-vivo cross-sectional and 3D morphology of human motor units in hand, forearm and lower leg muscles using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods: Diffusion weighted MRI was used with in-scanner electrical stimulation in healthy controls to image motor units at a single slice in lower leg, forearm and hand muscles (n = 6) and multiple slices in the lower leg for 3D assessment (n = 7).

Results: Motor unit cross-sectional area (CSA) and maximum Feret diameter (FD) did not differ between the lower leg (CSA: 22.

The muscle twitch profile assessed with motor unit magnetic resonance imaging.

Localised signal voids in diffusion-weighted (DW) images of skeletal muscle have been postulated to occur as a result of muscle fibre contraction and relaxation. We investigated the contrast mechanism of these signal voids using a combination of modelling and experimental measurements by employing DW and phase contrast (PC) imaging sequences. The DW signal and PC signal were simulated for each time point of a theoretical muscle twitch.

The role of novel motor unit magnetic resonance imaging to investigate motor unit activity in ageing skeletal muscle.

Sarcopenia is a progressive and generalized disease, more common in older adults, which manifests as a loss of muscle strength and mass. The pathophysiology of sarcopenia is still poorly understood with many mechanisms suggested. Age associated changes to the neuromuscular architecture, including motor units and their constituent muscle fibres, represent one such mechanism.

Paving the translational ageing research pathway-training the next generation of researchers.

Ageing is an archetypal translational research topic, spanning a breadth of academic disciplines. This poses challenges for researchers aiming to act upon laboratory findings to develop and implement interventions that directly benefit older people. Divisions between distinct academic research cultures present barriers to collaborative working.

Non-invasive imaging of single human motor units.

Objective: To determine the size, shape and distribution of single human motor units in-vivo in healthy controls of different ages.

Methods: A novel diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique was used in combination with in-scanner electrical stimulation to quantify the shape, cross-sectional area, and dimensions of individual motor units in 10 healthy subjects.

Results: Thirty-one discrete motor units were studied.