Natalya Slepneva¹, Tenzin Norbu², Melanie Morrison², and Andrew Moses Lee^3
1Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco, Vallejo, CA, United States, ²Radiology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States, ³Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, Multimodal, brain stimulation

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a treatment for severe, refractory OCD. We conducted post-operative DTI imaging to characterize structural connectivity from DBS electrodes. We also conducted fMRI during stimulation ON/OFF studies to elucidate the impact of DBS on functional networks in therapeutic and non-therapeutic configurations. In preliminary analysis, we find that therapeutic contacts are structurally connected to components of the OCD circuit in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), caudate, and thalamus. We also identified suppression in this cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuit during therapeutic DBS ON vs OFF, suggesting DBS therapy operates by inhibiting the OCD network.

Antonio Cerdán Cerdá¹, Patricia Martínez-Tazo¹, Santiago Canals², and Silvia De Santis^1
1Molecular Neurobiology and Neuropathology, Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, San Joan d'Alacant, Spain, ²Cellular and Systems Neurobiology, Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, San Joan d'Alacant, Spain

Keywords: Neurodegeneration, Aging

White matter microstructure evolves across the lifespan due to maturation and degeneration. Recently, MR imaging in humans uncovered region- and sex-specific trajectories of microstructural integrity decline, suggesting prolonged neoteny in the female brain. Here, using advanced diffusion-weighted MRI, we characterize the­­­­ contribution of different cell-specific white matter biomarkers in a longitudinal rat model of healthy ageing, from puberty to early senescence. Our results validate the use of a rat model of healthy ageing for dissecting longitudinal brain ageing patterns, replicate the sexual dimorphism found in humans and points at myelin as the neurobiological substrate driving the observed sex difference. driving the observed sex difference.

Andrew Furman¹, Li Jiang¹, Justin Schumacher², Ziachen Zhuo¹, Howard Eisenberg³, Paul Fishman⁴, Dheeraj Ghandi¹, and Rao Gullapalli^1
1Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States, ²University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States, ³Neurosurgery, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States, ⁴Neurology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States

Keywords: Parkinson's Disease, Focused Ultrasound

MR-guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) pallidotomy is a promising, non-invasive neurosurgical approach for treating the primary and secondary symptoms, such as levodopa-induced dyskinesia, of Parkinson’s Disease (PD). While the behavioral effects of MRgFUS pallidotomy in PD have been previously established, its impacts on brain circuity and how these changes relate to symptom resolution are currently unclear. In the current study, we compared measures of Regional Homogeneity (ReHo), a metric of spatiotemporal correlation thought to reflect the integrity and modularity of mesoscopic circuity, before and after FUS lesion of the Globus Pallidus internus (GPi).

Srivats Srinivasan^1,2, Laura L Lehman¹, Julie Swanson¹, Darren B Orbach¹, and Jeffrey N Stout^1
1Cerebrovascular Surgery and Interventions Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States, ²University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States

Keywords: Blood vessels, Pediatric, Cerebrovascular, reactivity, CVR, moyamoya

We compared the reliability of BOLD CVR (cerebrovascular reactivity) between two regression approaches – etpCO₂ signal and average cerebellar signal – in pediatric moyamoya patients. We estimated CVR using a lagged optimized GLM model, conducted cortical parcellation, and compared left-right hemispheric CVR differences to clinical and imaging reports. We found that etpCO₂ had poorer fits during regression compared to the cerebellar approach (p<0.0001) and incorrectly identified disease laterality in 2/8 patients. These effects were strongly observed in subjects with poor breath-hold task compliance, indicating that the cerebellar approach is more reliable for studies of young pediatric moyamoya patients.

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Chika Tokisugi^1,2, Fumiko Seki², Yuji Komaki², Takashi Inoue², and Junichi Hata^1,2
1Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan, ²Central Institute for Experimental Animals, Kawasaki, Japan

Keywords: Brain Connectivity, Animals, microbiota

This study aimed to investigate the brain–gut correlation in common marmosets. We examined germ-free (GF) common marmoset in terms of brain connectivity between brain regions using magnetic resonance imaging. We performed three-dimensional diffusion-weighted imaging, generated whole-brain tractography, and created connectome weighted by mean fractional anisotropy (FA). We compared the difference between GF and control. In GF mice, mean FA between regions showed little difference; however, these were reduced in common marmoset compared with conventional ones. Studying the effect of microbiota on common marmoset brain might capture primate-specific characteristics and would help in exploring the microbiota effects on the human brain.

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Raminder Kaur^1,2, Kashish Mehta^1,2, Alexander Ciok^1,2, Brian Greeley¹, Kati Debelic³, Hilary Robertson³, Todd Nelson^1,2, Melody Tsai⁴, Lan Xin Zhang^1,5, Margit Glashutter^1,2, Travis Boulter⁴, Luis Nacul*^4,6, and Xiaowei Song*^1,2
1Clinical Research, Fraser Health Authority, Surrey, BC, Canada, ²Department of Biomedical Physiology Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada, ³Patient partner in Research, Community member, Vancouver, BC, Canada, ⁴BC Women's Hospital & Health Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada, ⁵Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, ⁶University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Keywords: Head & Neck/ENT, Multimodal

This first multimodal MRI/MRS study aiming to investigate whether an extensive multimodal neuroimaging approach is feasible for patients with ME/CFS. The study compared female ME/CFS participants to aged matched female healthy controls. The study showed successful completion of the entire protocol that included: anatomical imaging; functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) along with a working memory task; single-voxel magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to quantify metabolites at three locations (ACC, BS, and l-DLPC); and a hand-grip strength to observe whether fatigue is induced due to the scanning protocol. It also suggested a minimum impact of the MRI session on grip strength.  

Jing Zhou¹, Alfie Wearn¹, Julia Huck², Giulia Baracchini¹, Jennifer Tremblay-Mercier³, Judes Poirier^3,4, Sylvia Villeneuve^3,4,5,6, Christine Tardif ^4,6, Ana Daugherty⁷, Claudine Gauthier^2,8, Gary R Turner⁹, and R Nathan Spreng^6,10,11,12
1Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, ²PERFORM Centre, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada, ³StoP-AD Centre, Douglas Mental Health Institute Research Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada, ⁴McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, ⁵McGill Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, ⁶McConnell Brain Imaging Center, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, ⁷Department of Psychology and Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, United States, ⁸Physics Department, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada, ⁹Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada, ¹⁰Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montréal Neurological Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada, ¹¹Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada, ¹²Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

Keywords: Alzheimer's Disease, Quantitative Susceptibility mapping, Human Memory

Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) was used to evaluate hippocampal iron in a cohort of healthy older individuals at elevated risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and related to pattern separation and pattern completion memory performance. Our results demonstrated that elevated brain iron content in the hippocampus is strongly associated with lower performance on behavioral tests specific to memory function, ie lower pattern separation scores and higher pattern completion scores. Our findings suggest that hippocampal iron deposition may be a pathological mechanism resulting in poorer mnemonic discrimination in later life

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Rafael Navarro-González¹, David García-Azorín², Ángel L. Guerrero², Álvaro Planchuelo-Gómez^1,3, Santiago Aja-Fernández¹, and Rodrigo de Luis-García^1
1Image Processing Laboratory, Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain, ²Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain, ³CUBRIC, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom

Keywords: Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence, Aging, Migraine

Brain-age is an emerging neuroimaging biomarker that represents the aging status of the brain using machine learning techniques from MRI data. It has been successfully applied to the study of different neurological and psychiatric conditions. We hypothesize that patients with migraine may show an increased brain age gap (difference between the age estimated from the MRI data and the chronological age). After building a brain age model from 2,781 healthy subjects, we tested this hypothesis on a dataset with 210 healthy controls and migraine patients. Results showed an increased brain age in chronic migraine patients with respect to healthy controls.

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Mingxiao Zhang^1,2, Suguna Pappu^3,4, William C. Olivero^3,4, Jason M. Huston^3,5, and Bradley P. Sutton^1,2,3
1Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States, ²Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States, ³Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States, ⁴Department of Neurosurgery, Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana, IL, United States, ⁵Department of Radiology, Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana, IL, United States

Keywords: Neurofluids, Brain, Flow, Hydrocephalus, CSF, Quantitative

Ventriculoperitoneal shunts drain excessive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for hydrocephalus patients, but shunts placed shortly after birth 50% fail within 2 years. Since rapid MRI is becoming the standard for imaging possible shunt malfunction, an MRI technique that assesses shunt flow at the same imaging setting, would be beneficial. Previously, the non-invasive quantitative method, Shunt Flow Enhancement of Signal Intensity (Shunt-FENSI), was proposed for diagnosing possible shunt failure. An improvement in its flow data simulation and quantification is included, more accurately reflecting the RF pulse application in the pulse sequence. Improvements are demonstrated on phantom, extraventricular drain (EVD), and shunt patients. 

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Haoran Dai¹, Elianna Bier², David Mummy³, Alexander Church³, Aryil Bechtel³, Anna Costelle¹, and Bastiaan Driehuys^1,2,3
1Medical Physics Graduate Program, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States, ²Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States, ³Department of Radiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States

Keywords: Hyperpolarized MR (Gas), Spectroscopy

Hyperpolarized 129Xe MR spectroscopy is a powerful tool for evaluating gas exchange, blood oxygenation and hemodynamics. However, there is no established method for determining the HP 129Xe dose equivalent required to achieve scans of sufficient quality for analysis. Here, we establish a robust approach to calculate the 129Xe MRS SNR and assess its relationship to the 129Xe dose equivalent.

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Emma Linnea Wiström¹, Jean-Noel Hyacinthe¹, Thanh Phong Lê¹, Rolf Gruetter¹, and Andrea Capozzi^1,2
1Laboratory of Functional and Metabolic Imaging, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland, ²HYPERMAG, Technical University of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark

Keywords: Hyperpolarized MR (Gas), Hybrid & Novel Systems Technology

Sample preparation of ¹²⁹Xe for dDNP with different glassing solvents, radical choice and concentrations affects the electron properties as well as the overall achieved ¹²⁹Xe polarization. A short T_1e and/or poor mixing is improved by ad hoc solutions that results in competitive polarization values in solid state measurements.

 

The sample preparation of ¹²⁹Xe for DNP showed an improved incorporation of the gas atoms in the solvent when using ultrasonication. Applying microwave frequency modulation during the irradiation reached a higher ¹²⁹Xe polarization. Extracted Xe was measured in a 1T NMR benchtop spectrometer to be 18s.

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Jule Kuhn¹, Kolja Them¹, and Jan-Bernd Hövener^1
1Section Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Medical Center Schleswig - Holstein, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany

Keywords: Hyperpolarized MR (Non-Gas), Contrast Agent

The PHIP-X methodology is a novel approach to produce contrast agents for metabolic MRI by hyperpolarization and combines the high polarization resulting from pH₂ addition with the versatility of proton exchange. However, the polarization yield and reproducibility have to be improved. The proposed setup provides reproducible and well controlled experimental conditions for PHIP-X, including a pH₂ pressure of up to 100 bar and a magnetic field of up to 95 mT. Using this setup allowed to reach high ¹H polarizations of the transfer agent and to transfer the polarization to ¹³C in the target molecule glucose successfully.

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Narjes Ahmadian^1,2, Sarah M Jacobs¹, Mark Gosselink¹, Wybe JM van der Kemp¹, Hans Hoogduin¹, Anastasia Coppoli³, Graeme F Mason³, Robin A de Graaf³, Helia Norouzizadeh⁴, Chantal Mahon⁵, Sjoerd van Marle⁶, Pieter van Eijsden², Dirk Cerneus⁶, Corin O Miller⁵, Inge De Lepeleire⁴, Anthony S Basile⁵, Dennis W Klomp¹, Jeanine J Prompers¹, and Evita C Wiegers^1
1Radiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands, ²Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands, ³Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States, ⁴MSD (Europe) Inc, Brussel, Belgium, ⁵Merck & Co. Inc, Kenilworth, NJ, United States, ⁶ICON plc, Groningen, Netherlands

Keywords: Non-Proton, Metabolism, 13C

The aim of this study is to assess the reproducibility of a selective proton-observed, carbon-edited (selPOCE) MRS sequences for the detection of glutamate/glutamine cycling at 7T in healthy participants. Participants were scanned twice while undergoing [U-¹³C] glucose infusion. The time course of Glu C45 and Gln C45 labeling were similar for test-retest measurements. This supports the application in future studies on measuring neuroenergetics and neurotransmitter cycling.

Tao Han¹, Xianwang Liu¹, and Junlin Zhou^1
1Lanzhou University Second Hospital, LanZhou, China

Keywords: Tumors, Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence

This study investigate the feasibility of a cli-radiomics model in preoperative noninvasive prediction of meningioma grade. This study attempted to construct a radiomics model for predicting meningioma grade based on T1C and T2WI sequences using different classifiers, select the optimal radiomics model, and combine it with clinical labels to construct a nomogram. Decision curve analysis was used to verify the clinical validity of the nomogram, which provides a non-invasive and convenient alternative method for clinicians to predict meningioma grades. 

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Jordan McGing¹, Daniel Radford-Smith², Richard Healicon³, Catriona H. E. Rooney³, Ayaka Shinozaki¹, Surrin Deen³, Tricia Seow³, Vicky Ball³, Fulvio Zaccagna ³, Sean Smart⁴, Daniel Anthony², Damian J Tyler^1,3, and James T Grist^1,3,5,6
1Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, ²Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, ³Department of Physiology Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, ⁴Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, ⁵Department of Radiology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, ⁶Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom

Keywords: Neurodegeneration, Hyperpolarized MR (Non-Gas)

It is unclear how serum lactate perturbations influence the quantification of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and metabolism using proton perfusion imaging and hyperpolarized ¹³C MRI. Low dosage L-lactate injection increased CBF and cerebral LDH flux, whilst high dosage lactate decreased CBF and maintained the increased LDH flux, relative to saline administration. Lactate administration did not alter apparent oxidative metabolism. This suggests the efficacy of probing oxidative metabolism with ¹³C MRI when alterations in serum lactate are present (e.g. in pathology). But highlights the requirement for serum lactate measurement prior to interpretation of ¹³C metabolic data. 

Nadine van de Zande¹, Marjolein Bulk², Chloé Najac², Louise van der Weerd^2,3, Jeroen de Bresser², Jan Lewerenz⁴, Itamar Ronen⁵, and Susanne de Bot^1
1Neurology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, Netherlands, ²Radiology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, Netherlands, ³Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, Netherlands, ⁴Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany, ⁵Clinical Imaging Sciences Centre, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, United Kingdom

Keywords: Neuroinflammation, Quantitative Susceptibility mapping, Huntington's Disease

HD is a rare, autosomal dominant inherited, progressive, neurodegenerative disorder. Strong evidence suggests a significant role for iron accumulation and neuroinflammation in HD. Previous studies already showed iron accumulation in the brain of patients with HD, but no other study linked these results with well-accepted biofluid biomarkers for neuroinflammation, or with neuroimaging methods to assess neuroinflammation. This study will provide an important basis for the evaluation of brain iron levels and neuroinflammation metabolites as imaging biomarkers for disease state and progression in HD and their relationship with the salient pathophysiological mechanisms of the disease.

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Yuan Li¹, Yuhan Jiang¹, Bingbing Gao¹, Mingrui Qu¹, Qingwei Song¹, and Yanwei Miao^1
1the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China

Keywords: Nerves, Kidney

End-stage renal disease is the final stage of chronic kidney disease, often complicated by abnormal brain structure and neurocognitive function. In this study, a voxel-based morphometry (VBM) measurement was used to observe the volume change of gray matter structure in ESRD patients. Patients with ESRD were found to have atrophy in the right Cerebelum_Crus1, bilateral Cerebelum_6, left Temporal_Pole_Sup, left Putamen, bilateral Calcarine (CAL), bilateral Lingual (LING), left Rolandic_Oper, left Heschl, right Cuneus, bilateral Postcentral. Furthermore, the volumes of the right Cerebelum_Crus1, bilateral CAL, left Cerebelum_6, bilateral LING were positively correlated with overall cognitive score.

Huiyang Liu¹, Hu Liu¹, and Guoguang Fan^1
1the First Hospital of China Medical University, shenyang, China

Keywords: Gray Matter, Neuroinflammation, NPSLE

We used the voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to investigate morphological alterations within gray matter (GM) in patients with neuropsychiatric systemic lupus (NPSLE). The two subgroups (inflammatory and ischemic phenotypes) have different pathological mechanisms and treatment methods. In the comparison of grey matter volumes within the two patient groups, we found brain atrophy was more severe in the inflammatory group and that the atrophied brain areas were consistent with previous studies of the blood-brain barrier in patients with autoimmune disease. Our findings could help to deeply understand the pathophysiology of NPSLE, and to treat lupus patients early to improve their prognosis.

Chuanying Shi¹, Peng Wu², and Xiance Zhao^2
1Liaocheng People's Hospital, Liaocheng, China, ²Philips Healthcare, Shang Hai, China

Keywords: Blood vessels, Ischemia

Compared with the first episode of pontine acute infarction, the risk factors of the basilar artery (BA) wall of recurrent pontine acute infarction have not been fully defined. In this study, high-resolution magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging (HRMR-VWI) was used to compare the changes of BA wall in patients with first-onset and recurrent pontine acute infarction, to find the risk factors of the BA wall in patients with recurrent pontine acute infarction. The result showed intra-plaque hemorrhage (IPH) of the BA wall identified on HRMR-VWI is associated with recurrent ischemic stroke.

Niki Sabetfakhri¹, Joline Fan², Natalya Slepneva ¹, Julian Motzkin^2,3, Melanie Morrison⁴, Leo Sugrue⁴, Andrew Krystal¹, and A Moses Lee ^1
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, United States, ²Department of Neurology, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, United States, ³Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, United States, ⁴Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, United States

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, fMRI (resting state), Stereoencephalography (sEEG)

Here, we obtained pre-operative fMRI and intracranial recordings from two subjects with treatment-refractory depression undergoing stereoencephalography as part of a DBS study. Intracranial recordings were obtained from leads bilaterally implanted in the orbitofrontal cortex, subgenual cingulate, ventral striatum, hippocampus, and amygdala. fMRI-based resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) was calculated for ROIs defined by the recording sites. We identified significant spatial correlations between power bandpassed in canonical frequency bands and fMRI RSFC. Correlations between both modalities were highest within the beta band. These data suggest that it is possible to map between networks defined by fMRI and intracranial electrophysiology. 

Xinying Wu ¹, Tong Fu¹, Yujia Gao¹, Hai Lin², Yongming Dai², Xiaobin Huang¹, Di Zhang¹, Xindao Yin¹, Lindong Liu¹, and Peng Wang^1
1Department of Radiology, Nanjing first hospital，Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China, ²Central Research Institute, United Imaging Healthcare, Shanghai, China

Keywords: Blood vessels, Diffusion Tensor Imaging

The glymphatic system is a recently discovered waste drainage system in the brain that involves movement of the cerebrospinal fluid along the perivascular space. In this study, we conducted a non-invasive method, diffusion tensor image analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS), to investigate the glymphatic system’s function in migraine and its association with brain atrophy and clinical symptoms. Abnormalities were identified in the glymphatic system of patients with migraine, compared with normal controls. The associations between ALPS-index and neuropsychological performance suggested the potential of ALPS-index as a biomarker for brain dysfunction.

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Wenjing Huang¹, Laiyang Ma¹, Wanjun Hu¹, Yu Zheng¹, Yuhui Xiong², and Jing Zhang^1
1Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China, ²GE Healthcare, Beijing, China

Keywords: Traumatic brain injury, fMRI (resting state), sports-related concussion

Sports-related concussion (SRC) is a complex and heterogeneous injury with psychological, cognitive, and functional consequences. Cognitive impairment is common following SRC, but the neural basis is unclear. In this study, the regional homogeneity (ReHo) and dynamic ReHo (d-ReHo) were obtained from rs-fMRI of both 31 SRC athletes and 7 non-SRC (NSRC) athletes. We found increased ReHo and d-ReHo in the SRC group, and the changes of d-ReHo in the right precuneus correlated with cognitive function. Our findings suggested that altered dynamics in the intrinsic brain activity might be a potential biomarker for explaining the cognitive function decline of SRC.

Domenico Aquino¹, Daniela Eldahaby², Emanuele La Corte³, Vincenzo Levi³, Elena Greco², Greta De Michelis¹, Riccardo Pascuzzo¹, Alessandro Gans², Malte Ottenhausen⁴, Luigi Michele Romito⁵, Maria Grazia Bruzzone¹, and Graziano Serrao^2
1Neuroradiology Department, Fondazione IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy, ²Department of Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy, ³Neurosurgery Department, Fondazione IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy, ⁴Department of Neurological Surgery, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany, ⁵Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Fondazione IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy

Keywords: White Matter, Tractography & Fibre Modelling

This study investigates for the first time microstructural alteration of the Frontal Aslant Tract (FAT) in nine subjects with TS compared to twelve healthy subjects. FAT was reconstructed trough Spherical Deconvolution (SD) and parameters derived from Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) and Neuritis Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI) were extracted. We observed a Fractional Anisotropy (FA) reduction, indicating a greater disorganization of fibers, and accordingly an increased Orientation Dispersion Index (ODI), which indicates more dispersed fibers. We also highlighted a negative correlation between motor tic severity (quantified by the YGTSS) and neurite density (ND) and free water fraction (FISO). 

Fan Yang¹, Haoran Wei¹, Yujie Li¹, Xiaoduo Yu¹, Lizhi Xie², and Meng Lin^1
1Department of Diagnostic Radiology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China, Beijing, China, ²GE Healthcare, MR Research China, Beijing, Beijing, China

Keywords: Head & Neck/ENT, MR Fingerprinting, Nasopharyngeal carcinoma; treatment response; Synthetic MRI

Almost 80% nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients are diagnosed with locoregionally-advanced stage at the time of initial diagnosis. Early detection of treatment response is important for adjusting therapy regimens. SyMRI could not only generate multi-contrast images (including T1WI, T2WI and PDWI) in a single scan, but also generate quantitative T1, T2 and PD maps. Our study demonstrated that SyMRI combined with histogram analysis could non-invasive predict early treatment response. The predict performance of combined SyMRI and clinical factors was significantly higher than clinical only or TNM stage only.

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Richard Okyere Nkrumah¹, Claudius von Schröder², Traute Demirakca ¹, Christian Schmahl², and Gabriele Ende^1
1Department of Neuroimaging, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany, ²Clinic for Psychosomatics and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, Trauma, Adverse childhood experiences, PTSD, White matter integrity

Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) are well-known risk factors for the development of PTSD later in life. The overall effect of ACE on WM integrity and the moderation effect of PTSD in this relation are still being researched. Using a total of 78 participants with any form of ACE, we show that ACE was negatively correlated with WM integrity in the genu and body of the corpus callosum and the bilateral uncinated fasciculus after controlling for overall psychological burden. The overall strength of this effect changed in corpus callosum and uncinated fasciculus when PTSD was added as a moderator variable.

Chaira Serrarens¹, Desmond HY Tse², Esther Steijvers-Peeters², Kim Brouwers², David Linden¹, Claudia Vingerhoets¹, and Therese van Amelsvoort^1
1Department of Psychiatry & Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands, ²Scannexus BV, Maastricht, Netherlands

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, Spectroscopy, Genetic Diseases

22q11.2 copy number variants (22q11.2 CNVs) are associated with either an increased or a reduced risk of developing psychotic disorders and impaired cognitive functioning. Glutamatergic and GABAergic pathways are hypothesized to be disrupted in 22q11.2 CNV patients. Although a balance between glutamate and GABA is necessary for optimal brain functioning, to date, GABA has not been studied in 22q11.2 CNVs. Here, we investigated glutamate and GABA concentrations in the anterior cingulate cortex in patients with 22q11.2 CNVs using 7-Tesla 1H-MRS. Our results showed no significant differences in glutamate and GABA concentrations between 22q11.2 CNV patients and healthy controls.
 

Conrad P Rockel^1,2, Sarah Scott³, Erin L Mazerolle⁴, Samuel Pichardo^1,2, Davide Martino^1,2, Tejas Sankar⁵, Zelma Kiss^1,2,6, and Bruce Pike^1,2
1Radiology and Clinical Neurosciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada, ²Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada, ³University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada, ⁴Dept of Psychology, St Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS, Canada, ⁵Dept of Surgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, ⁶Dept of Surgery, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

Keywords: Neurodegeneration, Focused Ultrasound, Movement disorders; treatment

Following MRgFUS thalamotomy for Essential Tremor, it was observed that lesions in some patients re-enlarged after the 3-month timepoint following surgery, based on T1-weighted MRI.  After grouping patients as NonEnlargers and Enlargers based on this observation, we did not observe significant between-group differences in clinical measures of tremor beyond the 3-month timepoint.  Patient demographic- and MRgFUS-related factors did not differ between groups.  However, patients in the NonEnlarger group demonstrated significantly greater tremor severity prior to and in early timepoints following MRgFUS thalamotomy, suggesting that the relationship between tremor severity and longitudinal lesion progression may be worthy of further investigation.

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Gail I. S. Harmata¹, Hesam Abdolmotalleby¹, John E. Barsotti¹, Jess G. Fiedorowicz^1,2, Aislinn Williams¹, Gary Christensen¹, Jia Xu¹, Joseph J. Shaffer^1,3, Jeffrey D. Long¹, Jenny Gringer Richards¹, Leela Sathyaputri¹, Samantha L. Schmitz^1,4, John A. Wemmie¹, Vincent A. Magnotta¹, and Merry Mani^1
1University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States, ²University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada, ³Kansas City University, Kansas City, MO, United States, ⁴Des Moines University, Des Moines, IA, United States

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, White Matter, bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder is a serious psychiatric condition whose cause remains unknown.  Previous diffusion MRI studies suggest white matter alterations may be involved, but standard diffusion tensor scalars provide limited information regarding potential pathophysiology.  Here we used Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI) to examine select white matter bundles to provide additional information regarding changes in microstructure.  We found that the uncinate fasciculus, cingulum hippocampus, and corpus callosum genu showed evidence of reduced axonal density, suggesting axonal loss or altered neurodevelopment.  Additional work is necessary to determine how this pattern changes over time, and how it relates to mood lability.

Rebecca M. Lee^1,2, James A. Foulds³, Reza Shoorangiz², Mustafa M. Almuqbel⁴, Campbell Le Heron^1,2,5, Lana Cleland³, Ross J. Keenan⁴, Roger Mulder³, Richard J. Porter³, Giles Newton-Howes⁶, Katie M. Douglas³, Anthony P. H. Butler⁷, Joseph M. Boden³, and Tracy R. Melzer^1,2
1Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand, ²New Zealand Brain Research Institute, Christchurch, New Zealand, ³Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand, ⁴Pacific Radiology Group, Christchurch, New Zealand, ⁵Department of Neurology, Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand, ⁶Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand, ⁷Department of Radiology, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand

Keywords: Gray Matter, Brain, Cannabis

This study investigated whether cannabis use during adolescent and early adulthood was associated with long-term brain differences into middle-age, using structural T1-weighted, ASL, and diffusion MRI. Compared to non-using controls, users exhibited significantly less grey matter volume in the hippocampus and amygdala (p < 0.05). We observed no significant between-group differences in cerebral blood flow or white matter integrity. While cannabis may relate to long-term brain changes, prospective longitudinal MRI studies may help to elucidate causality.

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Huiping Li¹, Xian Liu², Ruihong Wang¹, Aili Lu¹, Zhaohui Ma¹, Shibiao Wu¹, Hongji Lu¹, Yaming Du³, Kan Deng⁴, Lixin Wang¹, and Fang Yuan^1
1Department of Neurocritical Care, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China, ²Department of Imaging, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China, ³Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, China, ⁴Philips Healthcare, Guangzhou, China

Keywords: Epilepsy, DSC & DCE Perfusion, new-onset refractory status epilepticus; status epilepticus

This is the first study investigating blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction in new-onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE) using dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI). BBBs of NORSE patients were impaired diffusely, and they had significantly higher BBB permeability in the basal ganglia and thalamus compared to encephalitis patients without status epilepticus (SE). Our preliminary findings demonstrate that BBB dysfunction in the basal ganglia and thalamus plays an important role in the pathophysiology of NORSE. 

Dan Benjamini¹, David S Priemer², Daniel P Perl², David L Brody², and Peter J Basser^3
1National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, United States, ²Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States, ³National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD, United States

Keywords: Traumatic brain injury, Microstructure

There are currently no noninvasive imaging methods available for astrogliosis mapping in the brain despite its essential role in the response to many disease states. In an ex vivo human brain study we used diffusion-relaxation MRI to derive a signature of astrogliosis and disentangle it from normative brain at the individual level using machine learning. We developed a within-subject anomaly detection procedure that generates MRI-based astrogliosis maps ex vivo, which were significantly and strongly correlated with co-registered histology. Our findings demonstrated spatial sensitivity and specificity in detecting reactive astrocytes, and could significantly impact the studying of injury, disease, and aging.