Localization of the central sulcus using the distinctive high signal intensity of the paracentral lobule on T1-weighted images.

PURPOSE: The central sulcus is an important landmark in the brain. This study aimed to investigate the distinctive signal of the paracentral lobule (PL) on T1-weighted images (T1WIs; the white PL sign) and evaluate its usefulness as a new method of identifying the central sulcus. METHODS: T1WIs of the brain of 96 participants (age, 58.9 ± 17.9 years; range, 8-87 years) scanned at 3-T MR system were retrospectively reviewed. First, we qualitatively analyzed the signal of the cortex of the PL by comparing it with that of the ipsilateral superior frontal gyrus on a 4-point grading score. Second, we compared the cortical signal intensity and gray/white-matter contrast between the PL and superior frontal gyrus. Third, we evaluated the usefulness of the PL signal for identifying the central sulcus. RESULTS: The PL cortex was either mildly hyperintense (grade 2) or definitely hyperintense (grade 3) in comparison with that of superior frontal cortex in all participants. The signal intensity of the PL cortex was significantly higher than that of the superior frontal cortex (p < 0.001), whereas the gray/white-matter contrast of the PL was weaker than that of the superior frontal gyrus (p < 0.001). The central sulci were identified with 94.3% accuracy (181/192) using the new method. CONCLUSION: The white PL sign may be helpful in identifying the central sulcus, and this approach can be recognized as a new method for identification of the central sulcus.

Glymphatic system impairment in corticobasal syndrome: diffusion tensor image analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS).

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the along the perivascular space (ALPS) index based on the diffusion tensor image ALPS (DTI-ALPS) in corticobasal degeneration with corticobasal syndrome (CBD-CBS) and investigate its correlation with motor and cognitive functions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data of 21 patients with CBD-CBS and 17 healthy controls (HCs) were obtained from the 4-Repeat Tauopathy Neuroimaging Initiative and the Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration Neuroimaging Initiative databases. Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging was performed using a 3-Tesla MRI scanner. The ALPS index based on DTI-ALPS was automatically calculated after preprocessing. The ALPS index was compared between the CBD-CBS and HC groups via a general linear model analysis, with covariates such as age, sex, years of education, and intracranial volume (ICV). Furthermore, to confirm the relation between the ALPS index and the motor and cognitive score in CBD-CBS, the partial Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was calculated with covariates such as age, sex, years of education, and ICV. A p value of < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant in all statistical analyses. RESULTS: The ALPS index of CBD-CBS was significantly lower than that of HC (Cohen's d = - 1.53, p < 0.005). Moreover, the ALPS index had a significant positive correlation with the mini mental state evaluation score (rs = 0.65, p < 0.005) and a significant negative correlation with the unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale III score (rs = - 0.75, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The ALPS index of patients with CBD-CBS, which is significantly lower than that of HCs, is significantly associated with motor and cognitive functions.

Successful transcatheter arterial embolization for pseudoaneurysm of the deep femoral artery in a patient with presumptive ACTA2-related vasculopathy.

ACTA2-related vasculopathy is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder characterized by aortic aneurysms and dissection, and limb artery lesions are rare. We report a case of transcatheter arterial embolization for a pseudoaneurysm of a deep femoral artery in a patient with presumptive ACTA2-related vasculopathy. A 58-year-old woman was presumed to have an ACTA2 mutation based on her history of aortic diseases and family history of ACTA2 mutations. During follow-up, contrast-enhanced computed tomography for aortic diseases revealed occlusion and vessel wall abnormalities of the bilateral deep femoral arteries. Two weeks later, she complained of acute right inguinal pain without any triggering factors, and contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed a pseudoaneurysm of the right deep femoral artery. Vascular fragility due to ACTA2 mutation was believed to be the cause of the pseudoaneurysm. Transcatheter arterial embolization was successfully performed and no rebleeding occurred during 1.5 years after the transcatheter arterial embolization.

Physiological 2-deoxy-2-[fluorine-18] fluoro-D-glucose accumulation in the thenar eminence in adults: a single-center retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the frequency, and effect of physiological 2-deoxy-2-[fluorine-18] fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) tracer injection and its association with the penetration rates of mobile devices. METHODS: This retrospective analysis included 213 patients (mean age ± standard deviation, 66.2 ± 14.1 years; range 23-93 years; 125 men) who underwent FDG-positron emission tomography examination. Elevated FDG activity in the thenar eminence with maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) ≥ 2.5 was considered positive. Differences according to age, sex, laterality, and tracer injection side were evaluated using Fisher's exact test. Associations were assessed using Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Twenty-three percent (49/213) of the patients had elevated FDG activity in the thenar eminence (mean SUVmax, 3.50 ± 1.04; range 2.5-6.3), including 18 with bilateral findings. No significant difference existed according to age (< 50 years vs. 50-69 years vs. ≥ 70 years), sex, laterality, or tracer injection side. No significant correlation existed between penetration rates of mobile devices and the findings (p = 0.08). CONCLUSION: Elevated FDG activity in the thenar eminence occurs in adults, regardless of age, sex, laterality, or tracer injection side. This should be considered a common physiological change that does not warrant any further investigation.

Differential diagnosis of thymic epithelial neoplasms on computed tomography using the diameter of the thymic vein.

ABSTRACT: Although differentiating benign and malignant thymic epithelial lesions is important to avoid unnecessary treatment and predict prognosis, it is challenging because of overlaps in the chest computed tomography (CT) findings. In this study, we investigated whether the diameter of the thymic vein and other CT findings could differentiate between benign (thymoma and thymic cysts) and malignant (thymic carcinoma, [TCa]) lesions.We conducted a retrospective study across two tertiary referral hospitals in Japan between November 2009 and June 2018. We included 12 patients with TCa, 34 patients with thymomas, and 17 patients with thymic cysts. We analyzed the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to determine the best cut-off values and performed univariate and multivariate analyses of CT findings to distinguish TCa from other benign lesions. Post-hoc analysis was performed for the maximum short axis of the thymic vein using the Mann-Whitney U test, and the number of the maximum short axis of the thymic vein ≥ the cutoff was determined using the Fisher exact test with a family-wise error-correction using Bonferroni's method.ROC analysis showed that a maximum short axis of the thymic vein ≥2 mm was considerably more frequent in TCa than in the other lesions (P < .001 for both), with 83% sensitivity and 86% specificity. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed the association with TCa of the number of the maximum short axis of the thymic vein ≥2 mm (P = .005, multivariate generalized linear model analysis), ill-defined margin (P = .001), and mediastinal lymphadenopathy (P < .001). Thymic vein diameter was in descendimg order of TCa > thymoma > thymic cysts with statistically significant differences between the groups (Ps < .05).Thymic vein diameter was significantly longer in TCa than in thymoma and thymic cysts. Measurement of the maximum short axis of the thymic vein could be a powerful diagnostic tool to differentiate TCa from thymoma and thymic cysts.

Phonetic mismatch negativity predicts social skills acquisition in schizophrenia.

Neurobiological mechanisms for social skills acquisition in schizophrenia remain largely unknown. We investigated whether an electrophysiological index of cognitive function predicts the degree of training-related social skills improvement in schizophrenia. Thirteen patients with schizophrenia underwent assessment of mismatch negativity (MMN) event-related potentials, followed by participation in a 3-month social skills training. Larger right frontal/temporal MMN current density values elicited by across-phoneme change were significantly associated with individual degrees of improvement in total social skills scores as assessed by a structured role play test. Although preliminary, these results suggest that phonetic MMN could be an index of social skills acquisition in patients with schizophrenia.

Comparison between mismatch negativity amplitude and magnetic mismatch field strength in normal adults.

The auditory mismatch negativity (MMN) or its magnetic counterpart (magnetic mismatch field, MMF) has been widely used to assess the ability of stimulus-driven change detection process in humans. The authors evaluated the similarity of inter-individual variation of the response strength between MMN and MMF recordings. Three types of MMN or MMF were recorded in ten healthy subjects: change in duration of pure-tone stimuli, change in duration of the Japanese vowel /a/, and difference between the Japanese vowels /a/ and /o/. There was no significant correlation between MMN amplitude and MMF strength under any condition and in either hemisphere. These results suggest that widely used indices of MMN in the two technologies, i.e., EEG-amplitude and MEG-ECD may not be proportional in an individual. To further clarify the differential significance of recording MMN/MMF may be important to establish MMN/MMF as clinical indices of individual ability of preattentive stage of auditory processing.

Delayed automatic detection of change in speech sounds in adults with autism: a magnetoencephalographic study.

OBJECTIVE: Autism is a form of pervasive developmental disorder in which dysfunction in interpersonal relationships and communication is fundamental. This study evaluated neurophysiological abnormalities at the basic level of language processing, i.e. automatic change detection of speech and non-speech sounds, using magnetoencephalographic recording of mismatch response elicited by change in vowels and tones. METHODS: The auditory magnetic mismatch field (MMF) was evaluated in 9 adults with autism and 19 control subjects using whole-head magnetoencephalography. The MMF in response to the duration change of a pure tone or vowel /a/ and that in response to across-phoneme change between vowels /a/ and /o/, were recorded. RESULTS: The groups were not significantly different in MMF power under any conditions. However, the autism group showed a left-biased latency prolongation of the MMF particularly under the across-phoneme change condition, and this latency delay was significantly associated with greater symptom severity. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that adults with autism are associated with delayed processing for automatic change detection of speech sounds. These electrophysiological abnormalities at the earliest level of information processing may contribute to the basis for language deficits observed in autism. SIGNIFICANCE: These results provide the first evidence for delayed latency of phonetic MMF in adults with autism.

Neuromagnetic correlates of impaired automatic categorical perception of speech sounds in schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is associated with dysfunction in language processing. At the earliest stage of language processing, dysfunction of categorical perception of speech sounds in schizophrenia has been demonstrated in a behavioral task. The aim of this study was to assess automatic categorical perception of speech sounds as reflected by event-related changes in magnetic field power in schizophrenia. Using a whole-head magnetoencephalographic recording, the magnetic counterpart of mismatch negativity (MMNm) elicited by a phonetic change was evaluated in 16 right-handed patients with chronic schizophrenia and in 19 age-, sex-, and parental socioeconomic status-matched normal control subjects. Three types of MMNm (MMNm in response to a duration decrement of pure-tone stimuli; a vowel within-category change [duration decrement of Japanese vowel /a/]; vowel across-category change [Japanese vowel /a/ versus /o/]) were recorded. While the schizophrenia group showed an overall reduction in magnetic field power of MMNm, a trend was found toward more distinct abnormalities under the condition of vowel across-category change than under that of duration decrement of a vowel or tone. The patient group did not show abnormal asymmetries of MMNm power under any of the conditions. This study provides physiological evidence for impaired categorical perception of speech sounds in the bilateral auditory cortex in schizophrenia. The language-related dysfunction in schizophrenic patients may be present at the early stage of auditory processing of relatively simple stimuli such as phonemes, and not just at stages involving higher order semantic processes.

Do high or low doses of anxiolytics and hypnotics affect mismatch negativity in schizophrenic subjects? An EEG and MEG study.

OBJECTIVE: Many studies have demonstrated mismatch negativity (MMN) attenuation in schizophrenia. Recently, investigators have shown that GABAergic inhibitory neurons may regulate MMN generation. Considering that a substantial proportion of schizophrenic patients receive anxiolytics and hypnotics that have affinity to GABA(A) receptors to reduce their comorbid symptoms of anxiety and sleep disturbances, we need to assess whether anxiolytics/hypnotics might affect their MMN generation. The aim of this study is to assess the possibility that high or low doses of anxiolytics/hypnotics received by schizophrenic subjects affect their mismatch negativity (MMN), using event-related potentials (ERPs) and magnetoencephalography (MEG). METHODS: Twenty-three and 16 patients with schizophrenia participated in the ERP and MEG studies, respectively. Three types of MMN (MMN in response to a duration change of pure-tone stimuli, within-category vowel change (Japanese vowel /a/ with short versus long duration), and across-category vowel change (vowel /a/ versus /o/)) were recorded. RESULTS: High or low doses of benzodiazepine had no significant effects on MMN amplitude/magnetic MMN power, topography/laterality, or latency under any conditions of the ERP or MEG study. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that chronic administration of anxiolytics/hypnotics does not significantly affect MMN in schizophrenia.

The effects of benzodiazepines on event-related potential indices of automatic and controlled processing in schizophrenia: a preliminary report.

The effects of benzodiazepines on cognitive function in schizophrenic patients were investigated using event-related potential (ERP) measurement during an auditory selective attention task. In this study, the authors compared the mismatch negativity (MMN) and N2b components between two subgroups of schizophrenic patients: one is comprised of patients who received no benzodiazepines (NT group, n = 7) and the other is comprised of those administered benzodiazepines in the daytime (T group, n = 7). There were no significant differences in MMN and N2b amplitudes between the two subgroups, whereas the N2b latency was significantly prolonged in the T group relative to the NT group. This suggested that benzodiazepines induce delayed stimulus classification processing in schizophrenic patients.

P300 amplitude over temporal regions in schizophrenia.

To examine the left temporal scalp area reductions of P300 amplitude, event-related potentials (ERPs) during a standard oddball task were recorded in 57 schizophrenic patients and 33 normal controls. The P300 amplitude at T3 was not significantly smaller than that at T4 in schizophrenic patients. In the ANOVA analysis of the P300 peak amplitude and PCA factor scores, significant lateral topographical differences in P300 were not present between patients and controls. However, in schizophrenia, patients in the low T3 P300 group were older and consuming higher doses of antipsychotic medicine than those in the high T3 P300 group, and they had relatively low P300 amplitudes and significantly delayed P300 latency, compared with those in the high T3 P300 group. These findings suggested that although the reduction in the left temporal P300 amplitude did not necessarily exist in schizophrenic patients, it may be associated with the severity of the disease process and/or impairment of cognitive function.

Abnormal association between reduced magnetic mismatch field to speech sounds and smaller left planum temporale volume in schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is associated with language-related dysfunction. A previous study [Schizophr. Res. 59 (2003c) 159] has shown that this abnormality is present at the level of automatic discrimination of change in speech sounds, as revealed by magnetoencephalographic recording of auditory mismatch field in response to across-category change in vowels. Here, we investigated the neuroanatomical substrate for this physiological abnormality. Thirteen patients with schizophrenia and 19 matched control subjects were examined using magnetoencephalography (MEG) and high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate both mismatch field strengths in response to change between vowel /a/ and /o/, and gray matter volumes of Heschl's gyrus (HG) and planum temporale (PT). The magnetic global field power of mismatch response to change in phonemes showed a bilateral reduction in patients with schizophrenia. The gray matter volume of left planum temporale, but not right planum temporale or bilateral Heschl's gyrus, was significantly smaller in patients with schizophrenia compared with that in control subjects. Furthermore, the phonetic mismatch strength in the left hemisphere was significantly correlated with left planum temporale gray matter volume in patients with schizophrenia only. These results suggest that structural abnormalities of the planum temporale may underlie the functional abnormalities of fundamental language-related processing in schizophrenia.