Exercise-Related Physical Activity Relates to Brain Volumes in 10,125 Individuals.

Background: The potential neuroprotective effects of regular physical activity on brain structure are unclear, despite links between activity and reduced dementia risk.

Objective: To investigate the relationships between regular moderate to vigorous physical activity and quantified brain volumes on magnetic resonance neuroimaging.

Methods: A total of 10,125 healthy participants underwent whole-body MRI scans, with brain sequences including isotropic MP-RAGE.

Visceral and Subcutaneous Abdominal Fat Predict Brain Volume Loss at Midlife in 10,001 Individuals.

Abdominal fat is increasingly linked to brain health. A total of 10,001 healthy participants were scanned on 1.5T MRI with a short whole-body MR imaging protocol.

Neuroinflammation: A Modifiable Pathway Linking Obesity, Alzheimer's disease, and Depression.

Obesity, depression and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are three major interrelated modern health conditions with complex relationships. Early-life depression may serve as a risk factor for AD, while late-life depression may be a prodrome of AD. Depression affects approximately 23% of obese individuals, and depression itself raises the risk of obesity by 37%.

Handgrip Strength Is Related to Hippocampal and Lobar Brain Volumes in a Cohort of Cognitively Impaired Older Adults with Confirmed Amyloid Burden.

Background: Strength and mobility are essential for activities of daily living. With aging, weaker handgrip strength, mobility, and asymmetry predict poorer cognition. We therefore sought to quantify the relationship between handgrip metrics and volumes quantified on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Differentiation of Subjective Cognitive Decline, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Dementia Using qEEG/ERP-Based Cognitive Testing and Volumetric MRI in an Outpatient Specialty Memory Clinic.

Background: Distinguishing between subjective cognitive decline (SCD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia in a scalable, accessible way is important to promote earlier detection and intervention.

Objective: We investigated diagnostic categorization using an FDA-cleared quantitative electroencephalographic/event-related potential (qEEG/ERP)-based cognitive testing system (eVox® by Evoke Neuroscience) combined with an automated volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (vMRI) tool (Neuroreader® by Brainreader).

Methods: Patients who self-presented with memory complaints were assigned to a diagnostic category by dementia specialists based on clinical history, neurologic exam, neuropsychological testing, and laboratory results.

Quantified Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging Volumes Differentiate Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia from Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: The differentiation of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) from early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) by clinical criteria can be inaccurate. The volumetric quantification of clinically available magnetic resonance (MR) brain scans may facilitate early diagnosis of these neurodegenerative dementias.

Objective: To determine if volumetric quantification of brain MR imaging can identify persons with bvFTD from EOAD.

Quantitative MRI Differences Between Early versus Late Onset Alzheimer's Disease.

Investigators report greater parietal tau deposition and alternate frontoparietal network involvement in early onset Alzheimer's Disease (EOAD) with onset <65 years as compared with typical late onset AD (LOAD). To determine whether clinical brain MRI volumes reflect these differences in EOAD compared with LOAD. This study investigated the clinical MRI scans of 45 persons with Clinically Probable AD with onset <65 years, and compared them to 32 with Clinically Probable AD with onset ≥65 years.

Neurobiology of COVID-19.

Anosmia, stroke, paralysis, cranial nerve deficits, encephalopathy, delirium, meningitis, and seizures are some of the neurological complications in patients with coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) which is caused by acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov2). There remains a challenge to determine the extent to which neurological abnormalities in COVID-19 are caused by SARS-Cov2 itself, the exaggerated cytokine response it triggers, and/or the resulting hypercoagulapathy and formation of blood clots in blood vessels throughout the body and the brain. In this article, we review the reports that address neurological manifestations in patients with COVID-19 who may present with acute neurological symptoms (e.

Brain Structure in Bilingual Compared to Monolingual Individuals with Alzheimer's Disease: Proof of Concept.

Background: Bilingualism is increasingly recognized as protective in persons at risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Objective: Compare MRI measured brain volumes in matched bilinguals versus monolinguals with AD.

Methods: This IRB approved study analyzed T1 volumetric brain MRIs of patients with criteria-supported Probable AD.

MRI Volumetric Quantification in Persons with a History of Traumatic Brain Injury and Cognitive Impairment.

Background: While traumatic brain injury (TBI) is recognized as a risk factor for dementia, there is lack of clinical tools to identify brain changes that may confer such vulnerability. Brain MRI volumetric quantification can sensitively identify brain atrophy.

Objective: To characterize regional brain volume loss in persons with TBI presenting with cognitive impairment.

Emerging advances of in vivo detection of chronic traumatic encephalopathy and traumatic brain injury.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disorder that is of epidemic proportions in contact sports athletes and is linked to subconcussive and concussive repetitive head impacts (RHI). Although postmortem analysis is currently the only confirmatory method to diagnose CTE, there has been progress in early detection techniques of fluid biomarkers as well as in advanced neuroimaging techniques. Specifically, promising new methods of diffusion MRI and radionucleotide PET scans could aid in the early detection of CTE.

Patterns of Regional Cerebral Blood Flow as a Function of Age Throughout the Lifespan.

Background: Understanding the influence of aging on the brain remains a challenge in determining its role as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: To identify patterns of aging in a large neuroimaging cohort.

Methods: A large psychiatric cohort of 31,227 individuals received brain SPECT at rest and during a concentration task for a total of 62,454 scans.

Deficits in Regional Cerebral Blood Flow on Brain SPECT Predict Treatment Resistant Depression.

Background: Depression remains an important risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, yet few neuroimaging biomarkers are available to identify treatment response in depression.

Objective: To analyze and compare functional perfusion neuroimaging in persons with treatment resistant depression (TRD) compared to those experiencing full remission.

Methods: A total of 951 subjects from a community psychiatry cohort were scanned with perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) of the brain in both resting and task related settings.

Gender-Based Cerebral Perfusion Differences in 46,034 Functional Neuroimaging Scans.

Background: Studies have reported that females have widespread increases in regional cerebral blood flow, but the studies were relatively small and inconsistent.

Objective: Here we analyzed a healthy and a very large clinical psychiatric population to determine the effect of gender, using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).

Methods: Whole brain and region of interest (ROI) gender differences were analyzed in a total of 46,034 SPECT scans at baseline and concentration.

Quantitative Erythrocyte Omega-3 EPA Plus DHA Levels are Related to Higher Regional Cerebral Blood Flow on Brain SPECT.

Background: The interrelationships between omega-3 fatty acids status, brain perfusion, and cognition are not well understood.

Objective: To evaluate if SPECT brain imaging of cerebral perfusion and cognition varies as a function of omega-3 fatty acid levels.

Methods: A random sample of 166 study participants was drawn from a psychiatric referral clinical for which erythrocyte quantification of omega-3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) plus docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (the Omega-3 Index) was available.

Classification of Depression, Cognitive Disorders, and Co-Morbid Depression and Cognitive Disorders with Perfusion SPECT Neuroimaging.

Background: Depression and cognitive disorders (CDs) are two common co-morbid afflictions that commonly present with overlapping symptoms.

Objective: To evaluate if perfusion neuroimaging with brain SPECT can distinguish persons with depression from those with CDs or both conditions.

Methods: Inclusion criteria were DSM-IV defined depression or CDs (Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, dementia not otherwise specified, and amnestic disorders not otherwise specified) including persons with both (total n = 4,541; 847 CDs, 3,269 depression, 425 with both).

Discriminative Properties of Hippocampal Hypoperfusion in Marijuana Users Compared to Healthy Controls: Implications for Marijuana Administration in Alzheimer's Dementia.

Background: Few studies have evaluated the impact of marijuana use on regional cerebral blood flow.

Objective: To determine whether perfusion in specific brain regions on functional neuroimaging, including those affected by Alzheimer's disease pathology, are abnormal in marijuana users compared to controls.

Method: Persons with a diagnosis of cannabis use disorder by DSM-IV and DSM-V criteria (n = 982) were compared to controls (n = 92) with perfusion neuroimaging with SPECT at rest and at a concentration task.

X-ray radiation and the risk of multiple sclerosis: Do the site and dose of exposure matter?

Background: The sporadic cases of radiation-activated multiple sclerosis (MS) has been previously described, with a few studies focused on the relationship between radiation and the risk of MS. The aim of our study was to evaluate the association between history of X-ray radiation and MS.

Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 150 individuals including 65 MS patients and 85 age- and sex-matched healthy controls enrolled using non-probability convenient sampling.