Mohamed Ehab El-Abtah¹, Pratik Talati ², Melanie Fu¹, Benjamin Chun¹, Patrick Clark¹, Anna Peters ¹, Anthony Ranasinghe¹, Julian He ¹, Otto Rapalino^1,3, Gilberto Gonzalez ^1,3, William Curry ², Jorg Dietrich ^3,4, Elizabeth Gerstner⁴, and Eva-Maria Ratai ^1,3
1Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Boston, MA, United States, ²Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States, ³Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States, ⁴Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States

There is a need to determine clinical markers that can distinguish between pseudoprogression (PsP) and true progression after patients with GBM undergo resection followed by chemoradiation. We conducted a retrospective study of collected magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) and perfusion weighted imaging (PWI) data with the aim of investigating their utility in predicting tumor progression. Within the enhancing region on post-contrast T1 imaging, patients with true progression have decreased myo-Inositol normalized by contralateral creatinine (mI/c-Cr), elevated lactate normalized to glutamate+glutamine (Lac/Glx), and elevated relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF) relative to those with PsP.

Xinzeng Wang¹, Baolian Yang², Marc R. Label³, Steen Moeller⁴, and Suchandrima Banerjee^5
1GE Healthcare, Houston, TX, United States, ²GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI, United States, ³GE Healthcare, Calgary, AB, Canada, ⁴Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States, ⁵GE Healthcare, Menlo Park, CA, United States

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a well-established tool for providing insights into brain network connectivity and detecting brain microstructure but suffers from artifacts, low SNR, low spatial resolution, and long scan times. High-resolution DTI at 7T with multiband MUSE (MB-MUSE) and noise reduction methods have shown many potentials for mitigating these challenges. In this study, we combine a deep learning reconstruction method with MB-MUSE to overcome the image quality challenges and demonstrate improved quantification of high-resolution DTI at 7T compared with MB-MUSE and MB-MUSE with low-rank denoising.

Patrick Quarterman^1
1GE Healthcare, Brooklyn, NY, United States

The purpose of this study was to develop a High-Speed MRI (hsMRI) protocol with deep learning reconstruction (DL Recon) for adult and pediatric brain imaging to provide consistent, stout image quality in less than 1/4 the scan time of standard protocols. This was achieved utilizing FSE T1, SS T2w, Gradient Echo (GRE) T2*, and Diffusion Weighted & FLAIR Echo Plane Imaging (EPI) sequences. Evaluation was performed on of 20 patients comparing current protocol to hsMRI with results indicating imaging using hsMRI protocol was of clinically diagnostic quality allowing significant reduction in scan times compared to industry standard routine brain imaging protocols.

Sharmaine Khanna¹, Amirah Johnson¹, Isyss Lyons¹, Ben Sipes¹, Olga Tymofiyeva¹, Janine Lupo¹, Jill Ostrem², Doris Wang³, Philip Starr³, Ian Bledsoe², and Melanie Morrison^1
1Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States, ²Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States, ³Neurological Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States

Robust objective markers that can predict an individual Parkinson’s disease (PD) patient's potential response to brain stimulation (DBS) are limited. Here we evaluate the relationship between preoperative multimodal 7T MR metrics and a surrogate measure of motor response to DBS: the pre-to-post change in daily dose of dopamine medications. We found that fMRI signal variability in the superior sensorimotor network was more strongly correlated with medication dose reduction after DBS than current clinical prognostic criteria. Brain iron accumulation in the globus pallidus interna furthermore discriminated patients who did versus did not experience a dose change. 

Adil Bashir¹, Frank M Skidmore², and Thomas S Denney^1
1Electrical & Computer Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States, ²Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States

Glutathione in brain provides protection from oxidative stress. Autopsy studies have shown that glutathione levels are significantly reduced in substantia nigra of patients with Parkinson disease. In this study, we demonstrate the measurement of glutathione with MR spectroscopy in the human substantia nigra in vivo at 7T. Short echo-time STEAM pulse sequence was used to obtain high SNR spectra from Parkinson disease patients and healthy controls. Measured glutathione levels were significantly lower in patients when compared to healthy individuals.

Payal Patel¹, Alyssa Vecchio², Peter Chen³, Jennifer Chiarella⁴, Shannon Kolind⁵, Michael Hoff¹, Adam Dvorak⁶, Irene Vavasour⁵, Serena Spudich⁴, Christina Marra¹, Robert Paul⁷, and Swati Rane^1
1University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States, ²University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States, ³Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States, ⁴Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States, ⁵University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, ⁶University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, United States, ⁷Missouri Institute of Mental Health, St. Louis, MO, United States

Little is known about the pathology of cerebral white matter injury occurring in HIV. Myelin water imaging quantifies myelin content and results are expressed as myelin water fraction (MWF). We defined the cognitive profile of virally suppressed adults with perinatally acquired HIV (pHIV) and demonstrate the association between MWF and cognition. Ten (58%) adults with pHIV were cognitively impaired. Lower global MWF correlated with worse performance in executive function (r: 0.762, p: 0.037). Cognitive impairment is common among our cohort of adults with virally suppressed pHIV. Decreased myelination occurs in pHIV and may be a pathologic substrate of cognitive impairment. 

Melanie Morrison¹, Angela Jakary¹, Andrew Leynes¹, Jingwen Yao¹, Julia Glueck², Theresa Driscoll², Joseph Talkakson², Alexandra Nelson², Katherine Possin², Michael Geschwind², Christopher Hess¹, and Janine Lupo^1
1Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States, ²Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States

More robust and accurate methods are needed to characterize disease extent and progression of Huntington's disease in order to develop disease-modifying therapies. Here we used voxel-based morphometry to evaluate patterns of regional brain atrophy in premanifest and early manifest HD patients relative to healthy controls. We found typical wide-spread sub-cortical and cortical gray matter atrophy in early manifest patients and observed similar though less pronounced atrophy in premanifest patients. As the presence of volume loss prior to symptom onset remains controversial, this work contributes to existing evidence of atrophy initiating as early as the premanifest disease stage.

Sultan Zaman Mahmud¹, Adrienne Lahti², Nina V. Kraguljac², Thomas S. Denney¹, and Adil Bashir^1
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States, ²Department of Psychiatry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a central nervous system (CNS) disease which is characterized by thinking disorder, cognitive impairments and other clinical manifestations that alter daily functioning. SCZ currently does not have satisfactory treatment options to improve cognitive symptoms. Deeper understanding of the underlying mechanism is required for effective treatment of SCZ. Blood-brain barrier (BBB) is the immunological junction between brain and vascular circulation, and its disruption is associated with a number of CNS diseases. This study aims to investigate if the BBB is compromised in SCZ.

Adil Bashir¹, Adrienne C Lahti², Nina Kraguljac², and Thomas S Denney^1
1Electrical & Computer Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States, ²Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States

This study measured high energy metabolite ratios and CK and ATP metabolic reaction rate in visual cortex of SZ patients and HCs. The forward rate constant hence ATP production flux through CK enzyme was significantly lower in SZ patients when compared to age/sex matched controls. We did not observe abnormalities in metabolite concentration. Impaired CK reaction may underlie abnormal neuro function and information processing in SZ.

Xi Chen¹, Elliot Kuan¹, Fei Du¹, and Dost Öngür^1
1McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, United States

We used 1H MRS at 4 T to quantify NAA concentrations and apparent T2 relaxation times in 104 psychosis patients compared to 50 matched healthy controls with four TEs (TE = 30, 90, 150 and 200 ms).  Even at short TE (30 ms), NAA concentration without T2 correction was significantly lower in chronic psychosis compared to age-matched healthy controls. After T2 correction, no significant differences remained. Thus, it may be neuronal microenvironment indexed by T2 relaxation time, but not neuronal integrity indexed by NAA concentration that underlies the widely reported NAA concentration reductions in psychotic disorders.

Tara Lago¹, Mariella Reynoso¹, Yael Jacob², Judy Alper³, Bradley N Delman⁴, James Murrough², Priti Balchandani³, and Gaurav Verma^3
1Staten Island Technical High School, New York, NY, United States, ²Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States, ³Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States, ⁴Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States

Numerous studies have analyzed morphological measurements to better understand how depression alters the brain, but few studies have explored curvature as a potential biomarker. By analyzing data from 7T MRI scans, we aimed to determine whether curvature measurements can differentiate between MDD patients and controls. We performed generalized linear models to analyze the relationship between participants’ status and measurements for intrinsic curvature index, Gaussian curvature, mean curvature, and folding index in thirty-four brain regions. Six regions showed significantly higher measures of curvature in MDD patients: the inferior temporal, pars triangularis, supramarginal, lateral orbitofrontal, isthmus cingulate, and entorhinal.

Masaya Misaki¹, Aki Tsuchiyagaito¹, Beni Mulyana^1,2, Rayus Kuplicki¹, and Martin Paulus^1
1Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United States, ²Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Tulsa, OK, United States

Quantitative MRI (qMRI) of T1, T2, and proton density (PD) parameters can inform the brain's local microstructure, such as myelin content. We investigated the myelin alteration in white matter tracts for MDD participants compared to healthy controls by qMRI scanning using SyMRI software. MDD group had reduced myelin content in bilateral uncinate fasciculus, fornix, right external capsule, left tapetum, and genu of the corpus callosum regions. These results were consistent with previous reports about the white-matter microstructure alteration in MDD with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The results indicate that myelin measurement with qMRI can be an alternative to DTI.