An Improved Postprocessing Method to Mitigate the Macroscopic Cross-Slice Field Effect on R2* Measurements in the Mouse Brain at 7T.

The MR transverse relaxation rate, R2*, has been widely used to detect iron and myelin content in tissue. However, it is also sensitive to macroscopic inhomogeneities. One approach to correct for the effect is to fit gradient-echo signals with the three-parameter model, a sinc function-weighted monoexponential decay.

Understanding the impact of pediatric kidney transplantation on cognition: A review of the literature.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a relatively rare childhood disease that is associated with a wide array of medical comorbidities. Roughly half of all pediatric patients acquire CKD due to congenital anomalies of the kidneys and urinary tract, and of those with congenital disease, 50% will progress to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) necessitating a kidney transplantation. The medical sequelae of advanced CKD/ESKD improve dramatically following successful kidney transplantation; however, the impact of kidney transplantation on neurocognition in children is less clear.

Neurocognitive deficits may not resolve following pediatric kidney transplantation.

Background: Pediatric chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients are at risk for cognitive deficits with worsening disease progression. Limited, existing cross-sectional studies suggest that cognitive deficits may improve following kidney transplantation. We sought to assess cognitive performance in relationship to kidney transplantation and kidney-specific medical variables in a sample of pediatric kidney transplant patients who provided cross-sectional and longitudinal observations.

Associations between neurofilament light-chain protein, brain structure, and chronic kidney disease.

Background: Neurofilament light-chain (NfL) protein is a blood-based marker of neuroaxonal injury. We sought to (1) compare plasma NfL levels in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and healthy peers, (2) characterize the relationship between NfL level and kidney function, and (3) evaluate NfL as a predictor of abnormal brain structure in CKD.

Methods: Sixteen children with CKD due to congenital kidney anomalies and 23 typically developing peers were included.