Blood pressure, executive function, and network connectivity in middle-aged adults at risk of dementia in late life.

Midlife blood pressure is associated with structural brain changes, cognitive decline, and dementia in late life. However, the relationship between early adulthood blood pressure exposure, brain structure and function, and cognitive performance in midlife is not known. A better understanding of these relationships in the preclinical stage may advance our mechanistic understanding of vascular contributions to late-life cognitive decline and dementia and may provide early therapeutic targets. To identify resting-state functional connectivity of executive control networks (ECNs), a group independent components analysis was performed of functional MRI scans of 600 individuals from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults longitudinal cohort study, with cumulative systolic blood pressure (cSBP) measured at nine visits over the preceding 30 y. Dual regression analysis investigated performance-related connectivity of ECNs in 578 individuals (mean age 55.5 ± 3.6 y, 323 female, 243 Black) with data from the Stroop color-word task of executive function. Greater connectivity of a left ECN to the bilateral anterior gyrus rectus, right posterior orbitofrontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens was associated with better executive control performance on the Stroop. Mediation analyses showed that while the relationship between cSBP and Stroop performance was mediated by white matter hyperintensities (WMH), resting-state connectivity of the ECN mediated the relationship between WMH and executive function. Increased connectivity of the left ECN to regions involved in reward processing appears to compensate for the deleterious effects of WMH on executive function in individuals across the burden of cumulative systolic blood pressure exposure in midlife.

Eye-tracking in dentistry: what do children notice in the dental operatory?

OBJECTIVES: To determine, using eye-tracking technology, (i) what children notice the most when they look at images of dental operatories and (ii) the effect of distractors on gaze pattern. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-one children aged 4-12 years (21 girls, 19 boys) viewed 13 images of dental operatories taken from different perspectives on a computer screen. One child was excluded due to calibration issues with the eye-tracking equipment. Areas of interest (AOI's) were pre-defined on each image, then a Tobii X2-60 eye-tracking camera was used to track the location of participant's gaze. Count of participants to fixate and mean length of fixation (LOF) for each AOI were measured. RESULTS: Significant differences in the mean LOF was noticed for bracket tables, handpieces, and the dental chair. Significantly differences in mean LOF between different areas of the images were noted where distractors (cartoons) were added. CONCLUSIONS: When viewing images of dental operatories on a computer screen, children fixated most on the bracket tables, handpieces, and dental chairs. The addition of distractors was able to change where they looked. Eye-tracking was able to effectively assess where the children looked. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The findings demonstrate that children have inherent preferences for where they fixate when viewing images of a dental operatory. This has not previously been known and will allow customization of dental operatories where children will be treated.

Eye-tracking in dentistry: What do children notice in the dentist?

OBJECTIVES: To determine, using eye-tracking technology, what children notice the most when they look at the dentist. METHODS: A total of 41 children viewed 10 images of dentists of different genders and ethnicities, and wearing different attires, on a computer screen. Due to calibration issues with the eye tracking equipment, data from one child was excluded thus resulting in a final sample of 40 children (21 females; 19 males). Participants were aged 4-12 years. A Tobii X2-60 eye-tracking camera was used, which follows the location of participants' gaze as they look at images on a screen. Areas of interest (AOI's) were pre-defined on each image (e.g. eyes, mouth, shirt). Other images were displayed between dentist images with no consecutive dentist images displayed. Number of participants to fixate and mean length of fixation for each AOI were measured. RESULTS: Visual assessment illustrated that the dentist's face had the highest concentration of fixations, followed by attire. The circum-oral area has significantly more fixations than the eyes. The number of fixations and the mean length of fixation were both longer for the face than for the attire, and for the circum-oral area compared to the eyes. Distractors such as pens and ties exhibited more and longer fixations compared to images without distractors. CONCLUSIONS: Children fixated most on the dentist's face particularly the circum-oral area, followed by attire. Distractors were able to draw the children's gaze. Importantly, eye-tracking was an effective tool in assessing where children look on dentists' images. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This research will provide an understanding of where children focus when they look at a dentist. This has not previously been known and will allow dentists to modify how they present themselves and interact with child patients.

SchizConnect: Mediating neuroimaging databases on schizophrenia and related disorders for large-scale integration.

SchizConnect (www.schizconnect.org) is built to address the issues of multiple data repositories in schizophrenia neuroimaging studies. It includes a level of mediation--translating across data sources--so that the user can place one query, e.g. for diffusion images from male individuals with schizophrenia, and find out from across participating data sources how many datasets there are, as well as downloading the imaging and related data. The current version handles the Data Usage Agreements across different studies, as well as interpreting database-specific terminologies into a common framework. New data repositories can also be mediated to bring immediate access to existing datasets. Compared with centralized, upload data sharing models, SchizConnect is a unique, virtual database with a focus on schizophrenia and related disorders that can mediate live data as information is being updated at each data source. It is our hope that SchizConnect can facilitate testing new hypotheses through aggregated datasets, promoting discovery related to the mechanisms underlying schizophrenic dysfunction.

The Northwestern University Neuroimaging Data Archive (NUNDA).

The Northwestern University Neuroimaging Data Archive (NUNDA), an XNAT-powered data archiving system, aims to facilitate secure data storage; centralized data management; automated, standardized data processing; and simple, intuitive data sharing. NUNDA is a federated data archive, wherein individual project owners regulate access to their data. NUNDA supports multiple methods of data import, enabling data collection in a central repository. Data in NUNDA are available by project to any authorized user, allowing coordinated data management and review across sites. With NUNDA pipelines, users capitalize on existing procedures or standardize custom routines for consistent, automated data processing. NUNDA can be integrated with other research databases to simplify data exploration and discovery. And data on NUNDA can be confidently shared for secure collaboration.

Blogging your PACS.

Acquiring, implementing, and maintaining a picture archiving and communication system (PACS) is an enduring and complex endeavor. A large-scale project such as this requires efficient and effective communication among a large number of stakeholders, sharing of complex documentation, recording ideas, experiences, and events such as meetings, and project milestones to succeed. Often, mass-market technologies designed for other purposes can be used to solve specific complex problems in healthcare. In this case, we wanted to explore the role of popular weblogging or "blogging" software to meet our needs. We reviewed a number of well-known blog software packages and evaluated them based on a set of criteria. We looked at simplicity of installation, configuration, and management. We also wanted an intuitive, Web-based interface for end-users, low cost of ownership, use of open source software, and a secure forum for all PACS team members. We chose and implemented the Invision Power Board for two purposes: local PACS administrative purposes and for a national PACS users' group discussion. We conclude that off the shelf, state-of-the-art, mass-market software such as that used for the currently very popular purpose of weblogging or "blogging" can be very useful in managing the variety of communications necessary for the successful implementation of PACS.