Neuroimaging evaluation of the long term impact of a novel paired meditation practice on brain function.

Background: A growing number of advanced neuroimaging studies have compared brain structure and function in long term meditators to non-meditators. The goal is to determine if there may be long term effects on the brain from practicing meditation. In this paper, we present new data on the long term effects of a novel meditation practice in which the focus is on clitoral stimulation.

Alterations in cerebral glucose metabolism as measured by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-PET in patients with persistent postconcussion syndrome.

Background: Many patients who have traumatic brain injury experience a wide range of psychiatric and neurological symptoms (including impairment in functional status, cognition, and mood), and if persistent are referred to as persistent postconcussion syndrome (PCS). To our knowledge, this is the first study to broadly evaluate metabolic dysregulation in a heterogenous patient population meeting the criteria for PCS.

Methods: A total of 64 PCS patients and 37 healthy controls underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-PET (18F-FDG-PET) scanning, and 70 brain structures (including left and right structures where appropriate) were analyzed in each subject.

Differences in brain activity patterns during creative idea generation between eminent and non-eminent thinkers.

An influential model of the neural mechanisms of creative thought suggests that creativity is manifested in the joint contributions of the Default Mode Network (DMN; a set of regions in the medial PFC, lateral and medial parietal cortex, and the medial temporal lobes) and the executive networks within the dorsolateral PFC. Several empirical reports have offered support for this model by showing that complex interactions between these brain systems account for individual differences in creative performance. The present study examined whether the engagement of these regions in idea generation is modulated by one's eminence in a creativity-related field.

Differences in brain morphometry associated with creative performance in high- and average-creative achievers.

Nearly everyone has the ability for creative thought. Yet, certain individuals create works that propel their fields, challenge paradigms, and advance the world. What are the neurobiological factors that might underlie such prominent creative achievement? In this study, we focus on morphometric differences in brain structure between high creative achievers from diverse fields of expertise and a 'smart' comparison group of age-, intelligence-, and education-matched average creative achievers.

18F-FDG Is a Superior Indicator of Cognitive Performance Compared to 18F-Florbetapir in Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment Evaluation: A Global Quantitative Analysis.

Background: 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and 18F-florbetapir PET are approved neuroimaging biomarkers for the Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Objectives: This study aims to compare the efficacy of 18F-FDG and 18F-florbetapir PET at evaluating the cognitive performance of patients with AD, MCI, and normal controls (NC).

Methods: 63 subjects (36 male/27 female, mean age = 68.

N-Acetyl Cysteine Is Associated With Dopaminergic Improvement in Parkinson's Disease.

This study assessed the biological and clinical effects in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) of N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), the prodrug to l-cysteine, a precursor to the natural biological antioxidant glutathione. Forty-two patients with PD were randomized to either weekly intravenous infusions of NAC (50 mg/kg) plus oral doses (500 mg twice per day) for 3 months or standard of care only. Participants received prebrain and postbrain imaging with ioflupane (DaTscan) to measure dopamine transporter (DAT) binding.

N-Acetyl Cysteine May Support Dopamine Neurons in Parkinson's Disease: Preliminary Clinical and Cell Line Data.

Backgound: The purpose of this study was to assess the biological and clinical effects of n-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Methods: The overarching goal of this pilot study was to generate additional data about potentially protective properties of NAC in PD, using an in vitro and in vivo approach. In preparation for the clinical study we performed a cell tissue culture study with human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived midbrain dopamine (mDA) neurons that were treated with rotenone as a model for PD.

Double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized pilot study of cerebral blood flow patterns employing SPECT imaging in dental postsurgical pain patients with and without pain relief.

Background: Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) has been employed in the study of altered regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) in experimental and chronic pain. CBF patterns have not been evaluated in patients with acute postoperative pain.

Objective: The purpose of this pilot study was to employ SPECT to measure CBF distribution associated with postoperative dental pain and to compare these CBF patterns to subsequent images in the same patients who were experiencing pain relief versus continued or worsening pain who had received active or placebo analgesic interventions.

123I-ADAM SPECT imaging of serotonin transporter binding in patients with night eating syndrome: a preliminary report.

Night eating syndrome (NES) represents a delay in the circadian pattern of food intake, manifested by evening hyperphagia and/or nocturnal awakenings accompanied by ingestions of food. A neurobiological marker of NES has been implicated with the recently discovered therapeutic response to the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) sertraline. This pilot SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) study compared the serotonin transporter (SERT) uptake ratios of night eaters with those of healthy controls.

The measurement of regional cerebral blood flow during glossolalia: a preliminary SPECT study.

Glossolalia (or "speaking in tongues") is an unusual mental state that has great personal and religious meaning. Glossolalia is experienced as a normal and expected behavior in religious prayer groups in which the individual appears to be speaking in an incomprehensible language. This is the first functional neuroimaging study to demonstrate changes in cerebral activity during glossolalia.

Safety, biodistribution, and dosimetry of 123I-IMPY: a novel amyloid plaque-imaging agent for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

Unlabelled: (123)I-IMPY (6-iodo-2-(4'-dimethylamino-)phenyl-imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine) is a novel radiopharmaceutical that selectively binds to Alzheimer's disease (AD) amyloid plaques. As a first step toward validating this radiopharmaceutical as an imaging biomarker for AD, we measured the whole-body biokinetics and radiation dosimetry of (123)I-IMPY in AD patients and cognitively normal control subjects. The pharmacologic safety profile of the compound was simultaneously assessed.