Executive and behavioral deficits share common neural substrates in frontotemporal lobar degeneration - a pilot FDG-PET study.

Behavioral and executive dysfunctions are typical symptoms of frontotemporal lobar degeneration, associated with its subtypes frontotemporal and semantic dementia. Although both functions depend on the frontal lobes, no study has yet compared their neural correlates in frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Accordingly, we correlated clinical scores of behavioral and executive deficits with glucose utilization as measured by [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in 17 patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration and 9 age- and sex-matched control subjects.

Clinical findings in the chronic phase of traumatic brain injury: data from 12 years' experience in the Cognitive Neurology Outpatient Clinic at the University of Leipzig.

Background: There are many unresolved issues in the diagnosis and treatment of persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in its post-acute and chronic phases. This article deals with two problems of clinical importance: (i) the interrelationships between structural brain damage, brain function, and clinical outcome, and (ii) post-traumatic epilepsy.

Methods: Exploratory, retrospective analysis of clinical, neuroradiological (MRI), and neuropsychological data of all patients with TBI who were treated in a cognitive neurology outpatient clinic of a German university hospital over a period of 12 years (n=320).

Cognitive dysfunction, urinary retention, and a lesion in the thalamus--beware of possible toxocariasis of the central nervous system.

Toxocariasis of the central nervous system is usually characterized by an eosinophilic meningitis, encephalitis or myelitis. We here report a patient with an at least 7 years history of unexplained neurologic signs and symptoms. MRI showed a cystic lesion in the left thalamus, compatible with a parasitic infection.

Aerophagia and belching after herpes simplex encephalitis.

The etiology of abnormal belching is not known. Currently, it is being subsumed under "functional gastroduodenal disorders." Here, we report the unusual case history of a patient who developed aerophagia and consecutive excessive belching in association with herpes simplex encephalitis.

Comparative magnetic resonance imaging at 1.5 and 3 Tesla for the evaluation of traumatic microbleeds.

Traumatic microbleeds (TMBs) can be regarded as a radiological marker of diffuse axonal injury (DAI). We sought to investigate the impact of the field strengths on the depiction of TMBs by T2*-weighted gradient echo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). By the use of comparative MRI of 14 patients (age range, 22-62 years) on 1.

Diffuse axonal injury due to traumatic brain injury alters inhibition of imitative response tendencies.

It is well known that traumatic brain injury particularly affects the frontal lobes. Consequently, patients often suffer from executive dysfunction and behavioral disturbances. Accordingly, our study aimed at investigating patients after traumatic brain injury with two tasks involving different functional processes and structural networks supported by the frontal lobes.

Neurovascular coupling is impaired in cerebral microangiopathy--An event-related Stroop study.

Small-vessel disease or cerebral microangiopathy is a common finding in elderly people leading finally to subcortical ischemic vascular dementia. Because cerebral microangiopathy impairs vascular reactivity and affects mainly the frontal lobes, we hypothesized that brain activation decreases during an event-related color-word matching Stroop task. 12 patients suffering from cerebral microangiopathy were compared with 12 age-matched controls.

The clinical spectrum of blunt cerebrovascular injury.

Background: Incidence, prevalence, and clinical impact of blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) are unknown. There are no standardized recommendations for screening.

Review Summary: A databank of 306 patients with a history of trauma was searched for all subjects with a proven or suspected concomitant BCVI.

Cognitive sequelae of diffuse axonal injury.

Background: The results of recent studies on cognitive disability after traumatic brain injury-associated diffuse axonal injury (DAI) are inconsistent. In these studies, the diagnosis of DAI relied on cranial computed tomography.

Objective: To further clarify the extent and severity of a possibly DAI-associated cognitive impairment by the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and detailed neuropsychological testing.

Circadian variability is negligible in primary visual cortices as measured by fNIRS.

Neural activation leads to an increase of regional cerebral blood flow. Most of the functional imaging studies implicitly assume that variability of the hemodynamic response throughout a single day is negligible. To test this assumption we measured brain activation by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in the visual cortex of ten subjects six times throughout the day, from 0800-1800 h, during an event-related checkerboard paradigm.

Spontaneous slow hemodynamic oscillations are impaired in cerebral microangiopathy.

Small-vessel disease or cerebral microangiopathy (CMA) is a common finding in elderly people. It is related to a variety of vascular risk factors and may finally lead to subcortical ischemic vascular dementia. Because vessel stiffness is increased, we hypothesized that slow spontaneous oscillations are reduced in cerebral hemodynamics.

Serial 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis.

Objectives: To review and expand the existing literature of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) of paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis (PLE).

Methods: We performed serial MRI and 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG)-PET in a patient with anti-Ma2-positive PLE. In addition, we reviewed the relevant literature by conducting a search in the Medline database.

Diffuse axonal injury associated with chronic traumatic brain injury: evidence from T2*-weighted gradient-echo imaging at 3 T.

Background And Purpose: Diffuse axonal injury is frequently accompanied by tissue tear hemorrhages. We examined whether high field strength T2*-weighted gradient-echo imaging performed during the chronic stage of traumatic brain injury may have advantages in the evaluation of diffuse axonal injury as compared with T1- and T2-weighted MR imaging.

Methods: Prospective MR imaging of 66 patients (age range, 17-57 years) was performed using a 3-T system 3 to 292 months (median, 23.

Characterization of cerebral microangiopathy using 3 Tesla MRI: correlation with neurological impairment and vascular risk factors.

Purpose: To investigate whether clinical and neuropsychological impairment in cerebral small-vessel disease (CSVD) can be evaluated by means of morphological magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Materials And Methods: MRI at 3 Tesla in T2- and T1-weighted sequences was evaluated in 44 patients with cerebral microangiopathy, and 30 patients with combined cerebral micro- and macroangiopathy. The MR characteristics were correlated to clinical data, attentional impairment, and the patients' individual vascular risk factor profiles.