Epidemiology of autoimmune encephalitis and comparison to infectious causes-Experience from a tertiary center.

Objectives: The incidence of autoimmune encephalitis (AIE) has risen in the last decade, yet recent studies are lacking. We compared the epidemiology of autoimmune and infectious encephalitis cases in Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (TASMC) between 2010 and 2020.

Methods: All encephalitis cases, aged 18 and above, admitted to TASMC between the years 2010 and 2020 were reviewed for demographic, clinical, laboratory, and imaging data and categorized based on etiology.

The natural history study of preclinical genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD): a prospective longitudinal study protocol.

Background: Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is the most common prion disease in humans causing a rapidly progressive neurological decline and dementia and is invariably fatal. The familial forms (genetic CJD, gCJD) are caused by mutations in the PRNP gene encoding for the prion protein (PrP). In Israel, there is a large cluster of gCJD cases, carriers of an E200K mutation in the PRNP gene, and therefore the largest population of at-risk individuals in the world.

New Insights on DR and DQ Human Leukocyte Antigens in Anti-LGI1 Encephalitis.

Background And Objectives: To explore the clinical characteristics and HLA associations of patients with anti-leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 encephalitis (LGI1E) from a large single center in Israel. Anti-LGI1E is the most commonly diagnosed antibody-associated encephalitic syndrome in adults. Recent studies of various populations reveal significant associations with specific HLA genes.

Model-free dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI analysis: differentiation between active tumor and necrotic tissue in patients with glioblastoma.

Objective: Treatment response assessment in patients with high-grade gliomas (HGG) is heavily dependent on changes in lesion size on MRI. However, in conventional MRI, treatment-related changes can appear as enhancing tissue, with similar presentation to that of active tumor tissue. We propose a model-free data-driven method for differentiation between these tissues, based on dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI.

BV-GAN: 3D time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography cerebrovascular vessel segmentation using adversarial CNNs.

Cerebrovascular vessel segmentation is a key step in the detection of vessel pathology. Brain time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (TOF-MRA) is a main method used clinically for imaging of blood vessels using magnetic resonance imaging. This method is primarily used to detect narrowing, blockage of the arteries, and aneurysms.

The importance of tissue-based assay in the diagnosis of autoimmune encephalitis.

Background: The evaluation of autoimmune encephalitis (AIE) usually includes antibody testing with commercial kits capable of detecting only preselected antibodies. A non-antigen-specific assay may help detect other antibodies. In this study, we evaluate the utility and clinical relevance of an immunofluorescence assay (IFA) in the evaluation of AIE.

Adopting MR-guided stereotactic laser ablations for epileptic lesions: initial clinical experience and lessons learned.

Objective: MR-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (MRgLITT) is a minimally invasive technique for ablating brain lesions under real-time MRI feedback and control of the ablation process. The Medtronic Visualase system was recently approved for use in Europe and Israel. We report our initial technical experience using the system in the first 16 cases in which the system was used to ablate focal epileptogenic lesions.

PD-1-inhibitor-induced PCA-2 (MAP1B) Autoimmunity in a Patient with Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Immune check point inhibitors (ICIs) are a group of anti-cancer pharmacological agents which modify T cell activity in order to potentiate an effective immune response against tumor cells. While these drugs prove extremely potent against several types of malignancies, they may be associated with significant autoimmune adverse events. We report a patient who developed a subacute cerebellar syndrome shortly after starting treatment with nivolumab, a PD-1 inhibitor, for renal clear cell carcinoma, with detectable paraneoplastic PCA-2 antibodies.

Interictal Epileptiform Discharge Dynamics in Peri-sylvian Polymicrogyria Using EEG-fMRI.

Polymicrogyria (PMG) is a common malformation of cortical development associated with a higher susceptibility to epileptic seizures. Seizures secondary to PMG are characterized by difficult-to-localize cerebral sources due to the complex and widespread lesion structure. Tracing the dynamics of interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) in patients with epilepsy has been shown to reveal the location of epileptic activity sources, crucial for successful treatment in cases of focal drug-resistant epilepsy.

An uncommon presentation of paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis.

Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis (PLE) is a rare disease with established diagnostic criteria. We describe a case of an uncommon presentation of PLE in a female who presented with a one- year duration of short-term memory loss and mild behavioral changes who was eventually diagnosed with PLE associated with breast cancer. Our case demonstrates atypical presentation of PLE, with chronic presentation and an uncharacteristic mild neurological symptoms.

Low cerebrospinal fluid volume and the risk for post-lumbar puncture headaches.

Background: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is essential for the medical workup of patients with neurological conditions and for disease-modifying clinical trials. Post- lumbar puncture (LP) headache is influenced by both operator and patient-related factors, including needle type and gauge, age, and gender.

Objectives: We aimed to assess whether CSF volume measured based on pre-procedural brain MRI is associated with the risk of developing a post-LP headache.

Preoperative localization of seizure onset zones by magnetic source imaging, EEG-correlated functional MRI, and their combination.

Objective: Preoperative localization of seizure onset zones (SOZs) is an evolving field in the treatment of refractory epilepsy. Both magnetic source imaging (MSI), and the more recent EEG-correlated functional MRI (EEG-fMRI), have shown applicability in assisting surgical planning. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the capability of each method and their combination in localizing the seizure onset lobe (SL).

Neurosyphilis presenting as cranial nerve palsy, an entity which is easy to miss.

Neurosyphilis is a rare disease that until the 2000s was almost eradicated due to population awareness of HIV and efficient treatment. Since then, the prevalence of the entity is rising due to risk-associated behaviour such as unprotected intercourse. Neurosyphilis is still a difficult entity to diagnose especially when combined with acute HIV infection which can influence the usual clinical course of disease.

Plurihormonal Pituitary Tumor of Pit-1 and SF-1 Lineages, with Synchronous Collision Corticotroph Tumor: a Possible Stem Cell Phenomenon.

Thyrotropin (TSH)-secreting pituitary tumors are the rarest functioning pituitary tumors. Nonetheless, they are not infrequently plurihormonal, as they may express/secrete hormones made by other pituitary cells derived from the Pit-1 lineage such as growth hormone (GH), prolactin (PRL), and α-subunit (αSU). However, adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) or gonadotropin secretion by such a tumor is exceptional.

Repeatability of dynamic contrast enhanced v parameter in healthy subjects and patients with brain tumors.

Purpose: To study the repeatability of plasma volume (v) extracted from dynamic-contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI in order to define threshold values for significant longitudinal changes, and to assess changes in patients with high-grade-glioma (HGG).

Methods: Twenty eight healthy subjects, of which eleven scanned twice, were used to assess the repeatability of v within the normal-appearing brain tissue and to define threshold values for significant changes based on least-detected-differences (LDD) of mean v values and histogram comparisons using earth-mover's-distance (EMD). Sixteen patients with HGG were scanned longitudinally with eight patients scanned before and following bevacizumab therapy.

Differentiation between vasogenic edema and infiltrative tumor in patients with high-grade gliomas using texture patch-based analysis.

Background: High-grade gliomas (HGGs) induce both vasogenic edema and extensive infiltration of tumor cells, both of which present with similar appearance on conventional MRI. Using current radiological criteria, differentiation between these tumoral and nontumoral areas within the nonenhancing lesion area remains challenging.

Purpose: To use radiomics patch-based analysis, based on conventional MRI, for the classification of the nonenhancing lesion area in patients with HGG into tumoral and nontumoral components.

Surgery for Recurrent High-Grade Glioma After Treatment with Bevacizumab.

Background: Bevacizumab (BVZ) is an antiangiogenic agent approved by the Food and Drug Administration that is used for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma. Complications related to impaired healing may adversely affect patients resected for recurrent high-grade glioma (HGG) after treatment with BVZ.

Objective: To examine the complication rate, outcome, and tumor vasculature in patients resected for recurrent HGG after treatment with BVZ.

Changes in cerebral metabolism during ketogenic diet in patients with primary brain tumors: H-MRS study.

Normal brain cells depend on glucose metabolism, yet they have the flexibility to switch to the usage of ketone bodies during caloric restriction. In contrast, tumor cells lack genomic and metabolic flexibility and are largely dependent on glucose. Ketogenic-diet (KD) was suggested as a therapeutic option for malignant brain cancer.

Optimization of DCE-MRI protocol for the assessment of patients with brain tumors.

The interstitium-to-plasma rate constant (k), extracted from dynamic contrast enhancement (DCE-MRI) MRI data, seems to have an important role in the assessment of patients with brain tumors. This parameter is affected by the slow behavior of the system, and thus is expected to be highly dependent on acquisition duration. The aim of this study was to optimize the scan duration and protocol of DCE-MRI for accurate estimation of the k parameter in patients with high grade brain tumors.

Differentiation between treatment-related changes and progressive disease in patients with high grade brain tumors using support vector machine classification based on DCE MRI.

Differentiation between treatment-related changes and progressive disease (PD) remains a major clinical challenge in the follow-up of patients with high grade brain tumors. The aim of this study was to differentiate between treatment-related changes and PD using dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI. Twenty patients were scanned using conventional, DCE-MRI and MR spectroscopy (total of 44 MR scans).

Human cerebral blood volume measurements using dynamic contrast enhancement in comparison to dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI.

Introduction: Cerebral blood volume (CBV) is an important parameter for the assessment of brain tumors, usually obtained using dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) MRI. However, this method often suffers from low spatial resolution and high sensitivity to susceptibility artifacts and usually does not take into account the effect of tissue permeability. The plasma volume (vp) can also be extracted from dynamic contrast enhancement (DCE) MRI.