On the analysis of functional PET (fPET)-FDG: baseline mischaracterization can introduce artifactual metabolic (de)activations.

Functional Positron Emission Tomography (fPET) with (bolus plus) constant infusion of [F]-fluorodeoxyglucose FDG), known as fPET-FDG, is a recently introduced technique in human neuroimaging, enabling the detection of dynamic glucose metabolism changes within a single scan. However, the statistical analysis of fPET-FDG data remains challenging because its signal and noise characteristics differ from both classic bolus-administration FDG PET and from functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), which together compose the primary sources of inspiration for analytical methods used by fPET-FDG researchers. In this study, we present an investigate of how inaccuracies in modeling baseline FDG uptake can introduce artifactual patterns to detrended TAC residuals, potentially introducing spurious (de)activations to general linear model (GLM) analyses.

Topology-Aware Uncertainty for Image Segmentation.

Segmentation of curvilinear structures such as vasculature and road networks is challenging due to relatively weak signals and complex geometry/topology. To facilitate and accelerate large scale annotation, one has to adopt semi-automatic approaches such as proofreading by experts. In this work, we focus on uncertainty estimation for such tasks, so that highly uncertain, and thus error-prone structures can be identified for human annotators to verify.

Ethically Translating Advanced Neurotechnologies for Disorders of Consciousness: A Survey of Clinicians' Perspectives.

Although evaluation of disorders of consciousness (DoC) following brain injury has traditionally relied on bedside behavioral examination, advances in neurotechnology have elucidated novel approaches to detecting and predicting recovery of consciousness. Professional society guidelines now recommend that clinicians integrate these neurotechnologies into clinical practice as part of multimodal evaluations for some patients with DoC but have not crafted concrete protocols for this translation. Little is known about the experiences and ethical perspectives held by key stakeholder groups around the clinical implementation of advanced neurotechnologies to detect and predict recovery of consciousness.

The Effect of Pexidartinib on Neuropathic Pain via Influences on Microglia and Neuroinflammation in Mice.

Background: Chronic pain is a debilitating medical condition that lacks effective treatments. Increasing evidence suggests that microglia and neuroinflammation underlie pain pathophysiology, which therefore supports a potential strategy for developing pain therapeutics. Here, our study is testing the hypothesis that the promise of pain amelioration can be achieved using the small-molecule pexidartinib (PLX-3397), a previously food and drug administration (FDA)-approved cancer medicine and a colony-stimulating factor-1 receptor (CSF-1R) inhibitor that display microglia-depleting properties.

Revealing membrane integrity and cell size from diffusion kurtosis time dependence.

Purpose: The nonmonotonic dependence of diffusion kurtosis on diffusion time has been observed in biological tissues, yet its relation to membrane integrity and cellular geometry remains to be clarified. Here we establish and explain the characteristic asymmetric shape of the kurtosis peak. We also derive the relation between the peak time , when kurtosis reaches its maximum, and tissue parameters.

The Development and Evaluation of a Novel Highly Selective PET Radiotracer for Targeting BET BD1.

Small molecules that interfere with the interaction between acetylated protein tails and the tandem bromodomains of BET (bromodomain and extra-terminal) family proteins are pivotal in modulating immune/inflammatory and neoplastic diseases. This study aimed to develop a novel PET imaging tracer, [C]GSK023, that targets the N-terminal bromodomain (BD1) of BET family proteins with high selectivity and potency, thereby enriching the chemical probe toolbox for epigenetic imaging. [C]GSK023, a radio-chemical probe, was designed and synthesized to specifically target the BET BD1.

The use of 7T MRI in multiple sclerosis: review and consensus statement from the North American Imaging in Multiple Sclerosis Cooperative.

The use of ultra-high-field 7-Tesla (7T) MRI in multiple sclerosis (MS) research has grown significantly over the past two decades. With recent regulatory approvals of 7T scanners for clinical use in 2017 and 2020, the use of this technology for routine care is poised to continue to increase in the coming years. In this context, the North American Imaging in MS Cooperative (NAIMS) convened a workshop in February 2023 to review the previous and current use of 7T technology for MS research and potential future research and clinical applications.

Better Together: Integrating Multivariate with Univariate Methods, and MEG with EEG to Study Language Comprehension.

We used MEG and EEG to examine the effects of Plausibility ( vs. ) and Animacy ( vs. ) on activity to incoming words during language comprehension.

Single-shot echo planar time-resolved imaging for multi-echo functional MRI and distortion-free diffusion imaging.

Purpose: To develop a single-shot SNR-efficient distortion-free multi-echo imaging technique for dynamic imaging applications.

Methods: Echo planar time-resolved imaging (EPTI) was first introduced as a multi-shot technique for distortion-free multi-echo imaging. This work aims to develop single-shot EPTI (ss-EPTI) to achieve improved robustness to motion/physiological noise, increased temporal resolution, and higher SNR efficiency.

Impaired Sleep-Dependent Memory Consolidation in Pediatric Narcolepsy Type 1.

Study Objectives: Disrupted nighttime sleep (DNS) is common in pediatric Narcolepsy type 1, yet its cognitive impact is unknown. As N2 sleep spindles are necessary for sleep-dependent memory consolidation, we hypothesized that Narcolepsy Type 1 impairs memory consolidation via N2 sleep fragmentation and N2 sleep spindle alterations.

Methods: We trained 28 pediatric Narcolepsy Type 1 participants and 27 healthy controls (HC) on a spatial declarative memory task before a nocturnal in-lab polysomnogram and then gave them a cued recall test upon awakening in the morning.

Alpha coherence is a network signature of cognitive recovery from disorders of consciousness.

Alpha (8-12 Hz) frequency band oscillations are among the most informative features in electroencephalographic (EEG) assessment of patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC). Because interareal alpha synchrony is thought to facilitate long-range communication in healthy brains, coherence measures of resting-state alpha oscillations may provide insights into a patient's capacity for higher-order cognition beyond channel-wise estimates of alpha power. In multi-channel EEG, global coherence methods may be used to augment standard spectral analysis methods by both estimating the strength and identifying the structure of coherent oscillatory networks.

Data Consistent Deep Rigid MRI Motion Correction.

Motion artifacts are a pervasive problem in MRI, leading to misdiagnosis or mischaracterization in population-level imaging studies. Current retrospective rigid intra-slice motion correction techniques jointly optimize estimates of the image and the motion parameters. In this paper, we use a deep network to reduce the joint image-motion parameter search to a search over rigid motion parameters alone.