High-resolution venography of the brain using magnetic resonance imaging

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a non-flow related magnetic resonance imaging method to visualize small veins independent of arteries in the human brain. A long TE, high-resolution 3D gradient echo MR acquisition was used to highlight venous information. The method is based on the paramagnetic property of deoxyhemoglobin and the resulting phase difference between veins and brain parenchyma at long echo times. The MR magnitude images were masked with a phase mask filter to enhance small structure visibility.. Venous information down to sub-pixel vessel diameters of several hundred microns is visible. Venous data are displayed in an angiographic manner using a minimum intensity projection algorithm. Both superficial veins and deep white matter veins are visible. The method has been successfully applied in volunteers. Preliminary results in patients with cerebral arteriovenous malformations indicate its potential in clinical applications. The proposed method is easy to implement and does not require administration of a contrast agent or application of specially designed rf pulses to highlight the veins. Rather it exploits the intrinsic magnetic properties (BOLD-effect) and the prolonged T ^_2* of venous blood. The method may be of diagnostic potential in the assessment of arteriovenous malformations or other vascular venous lesions. © 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.     

Functional MRI study of PASAT in normal subjects

The paced auditory serial addition test (PASAT) is routinely used to evaluate the cognitive part of the multiple sclerosis functional composite (MSFC) score, the new reference index of patient disability. PASAT is sensitive to subtle cognitive impairment related to MS, although the cognitive components of this test still remain unclear. In order to better characterize brain systems involved during this complex task, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments were conducted during PASAT in a population of ten normal subjects. The paradigm consisted of a series of 61 single-digit numbers delivered every 3 s. After each number, subjects were asked to overt vocalize the result of the addition of the two last numbers heard. A control task consisting of the repetition of the same series of single-digit numbers was used. Statistical group analysis was performed using the random effect procedure (SPM 99). Cortical activation was observed in the left prefontal cortex, the supplementary motor area, the lateral premotor cortex, the cingulate gyrus, the left parietal lobe, the left superior temporal gyrus, the left temporal pole, and visual associative areas. fMRI activations underlying PASAT were consistent with an involvement of verbal working memory and the semantic memory retrieval network which could be related to arithmetic fact retrieval. This study on normal subjects could provide a base for the understanding of the potential abnormal cortical activation in MS patients performing this test for a cognitive evaluation.This revised version was published in March 2005 with corrections to the history.     

Lateralized processing of speech prosodies in the temporal cortex: a 3-T functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Prosodic modulation of speech provides information about emotional states of speakers (affective prosodies) or serves as syntactic markers to change linguistic aspects of speech (linguistic prosodies). Previous electrophysiological investigations and studies on patients with right or left hemisphere damage showed nonuniform results with respect to lateralization of prosodic processing. In this study 20 healthy right-handed volunteers were investigated with functional magnetic resonance imaging of the acoustically responsive areas on the supratemporal plane while detecting phonemes as control targets or prosodies in strings of nonsense syllables and adjectives, the latter randomly intonated in a declarative, interrogative, commanding, happy, or sad fashion. In control task A the phoneme /a/ was detected in the syllables. In control task B the phoneme /a/ was detected in the adjectives, and in the experimental task C the sad intonations (affective) and in the experimental task D the interrogative intonations (linguistic) had to be detected in the same material. In task A intensity-weighted volumes of activated voxels were not different in the two hemispheres (laterality index 0). In task B with an irrelevant phoneme detection with respect to prosodic material, the population split into two subgroups with similar right or left hemispheric lateralization of activity leading to an absolute laterality index of 26.8 across all subjects. During detection of affective prosodies (task C), lateralization was maintained yet the absolute laterality index reduced to 14.5, while there was no lateralization during detection of linguistic prosodies. The sum of activations in the two hemispheres was the same across all tasks and subgroups, which suggests that the lateralizations occurring with presentation and detection of prosodic material depend on a redistribution of activity between hemispheres.     

Turbo spin-echo sequences in magnetic resonance imaging of the brain: Physics and applications

Fast SE imaging provides considerable measure time reduction, high signal-to-noise ratios as well as similar contrast behavior compared to conventional SE sequences. Besides TR and TE_eff, echo train length (ETL), interecho time , and-space trajectory determine image contrast and image quality in fast SE sequences. True proton density contrast (CSF hypointense) and not too strong T2 contrast are essential requirements in routine brain MRI. A Turbo SE sequence with very short echo train length (ETL=3), short TE_eff and short interecho time (17 ms), and TR=2000 ms was selected for proton density contrast; a Turbo SE sequence with ETL=7, TE_eff=90 ms, =22 ms, and TR=3250 ms was selected for T₂-weighted images. Using both single-echo Turbo SE sequences yielded 50% measure time reduction compared to the conventional SE technique. Conventional SE and optimized Turbo SE sequences were compared in 150 patients resulting in very similar signal and contrast behavior. Furthermore, reduced flow artifacts in proton density—and especially in T₂-weighted Turbo SE images—and better contrast of high-intensity lesions in proton density-weighted Turbo SE images were found. Slightly reduced edge sharpness—mainly in T₂-weighted Turbo SE images—did not reduce diagnostic reliability. Differences between conventional and Turbo SE images concerning image contrast and quality are explained regarding special features of fast SE technique.Address for correspondence: Institut für Röntgendiagnostik, Klinikum der Universität Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93042 Regensburg, Germany. Additional reprints of this chapter may be obtained from the Reprints Department, Chapman & Hall, One Venn Plaza, New York, NY 10119.     

The strengths of in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study environmental adaptational physiology in fish

Adaptational physiology studies how animals cope with their environment, even if this environment is subject to permanent fluctuations such as tidal or seasonal variations. Aquatic organisms are generally more prone to be exposed to osmotic, hypoxic and temperature challenges than terrestrial animals. Some of these challenges are more restraining in an aquatic environment. To date, very few studies have used in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to uncover the physiological mechanisms that respond to or compensate for these challenges. This paper provides an overview of what has been accomplished thus far by using MRI to study the environmental physiology of fish. It introduces the reader to the use of small teleost fish such as carp (12 cm, 60 g) and eelpout (25 cm, 50 g) as models for such research and to provide new perceptions into the applicability of MRI tools based on new insights into the nature of MRI contrast. Representative MRI studies have made contributions to the identification of the lack of cell volume repair in stenohaline fish during osmotic stress. They have studied the underlying physiological mechanisms of brain anoxia tolerance in fish and have qualified the role of the cardio-circulatory system in setting thermal tolerance windows of fish.     

Transient global brain ischemia in the rat: spatial distribution, extension, and evolution of lesions evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging

A newly-developed model of transient global ischemia in the rat was evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in terms of localization of brain lesions, their extent and severity, and temporal evolution. Such a model, consisting of bilateral occlusion of common carotid arteries for 10 minutes and mild hypoxia (15% O₂) for 20 minutes induces delayed neuronal degeneration, necrosis, and gliosis (detected histologically and immunohistochemically). Ischemia was assessed by full suppression of spontaneous electroencephalographic activity. A “hybrid” T₂-/diffusion-weighted MR sequence enhancing more effectively the contrast between injured and intact tissues as compared to T₂-weighted MRI was used at 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours and at 7 days postischemia. Twenty hypoxic-ischemic rats showed a considerable variability in brain damage. In 8, there were no MRI-detectable lesions at any interval. In the other 12 rats, the severity and extension of neuronal damage varied markedly, but the lesions were always localized (monolaterally in 8 and bilaterally in 4 rats) in the occipital, temporal, or parietal cerebral cortex. Mainly, they were of intermediate severity or were severe (as assessed by MRI hyperintensity) and were accompanied by usually less severe lesions in the thalamus and/or caudate putamen. The hippocampus was affected moderately or severely in 4 of 12 rats. In most cases, there was at 48 hours a considerable growth in severity and/or extension of lesions, which usually remained stable at later intervals. In conclusion, MRI allowed us to follow brain lesions during the first week in this relatively simple and noninvasive model of transient global ischemia.     

Transient global brain ischemia in young and aged rats: differences in severity and progression, but not localisation, of lesions evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging

A model of transient global brain ischemia consisting of bilateral occlusion of common carotid arteries for 10 min and mild hypoxia (15% O₂−85% N₂) for 20 min was studied by means of MRI in young and aged Fischer 344 rats (3–4 and 24–26 months, respectively). Ischemia was assessed by full suppression of spontaneous EEG activity, which reappeared and normalized similarly in the two age-groups. The survival of young with respect to aged rats was considerably higher both at 24 h (20/20, i.e. 100% vs 12/16, i.e. 75%) and at 48 h (16/20, i.e. 80% vs 6/16, i.e. 38%). The localisation of brain lesions, their severity and progression were evaluated by a diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) sequence at 24 and 48 h post-ischemia. There were no DWI-detectable lesions in eight out of 20 young and two out of 12 aged rats. The localisation of DWI-detected lesions was rather similar in rats of the two age-groups. In fact, the cerebral cortex, mainly parietal, occipital and temporal lobes were damaged in 83% of young and 90% of aged rats. The respective percentages for the thalamus were 83 and 60%, for the striatum 58 and 50%, and for the hippocampus 25 and 30%. The lesions present in the cerebral cortex and the thalamus were considerably more severe in aged than in young rats. In conclusion, in spite of similar localisation of ischemic lesions in the two age-groups, their incidence was higher, appearance more rapid and severity more pronounced in aged with respect to young rats. This resulted in a considerably higher mortality of the former. The overall data indicate that the age issue is very important in experimental ischemia research.