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The Einstein-de Haas effect was originally observed in a landmark experiment1 demonstrating that the angular momentum associated with aligned electron spins in a ferromagnet can be converted to mechanical angular momentum by reversing the direction of magnetization using an external magnetic field. A related problem concerns the timescale of this angular momentum transfer. Experiments have established that intense photoexcitation in several metallic ferromagnets leads to a drop in magnetization on a timescale shorter than 100 femtoseconds-a phenomenon called ultrafast demagnetization2-4. Although the microscopic mechanism for this process has been hotly debated, the key question of where the angular momentum goes on these femtosecond timescales remains unanswered. Here we use femtosecond time-resolved X-ray diffraction to show that most of the angular momentum lost from the spin system upon laser-induced demagnetization of ferromagnetic iron is transferred to the lattice on sub-picosecond timescales, launching a transverse strain wave that propagates from the surface into the bulk. By fitting a simple model of the X-ray data to simulations and optical data, we estimate that the angular momentum transfer occurs on a timescale of 200 femtoseconds and corresponds to 80 per cent of the angular momentum that is lost from the spin system. Our results show that interaction with the lattice has an essential role in the process of ultrafast demagnetization in this system.
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The ultrafast dynamics of the octahedral rotation in Ca:SrTiO_{3} is studied by time-resolved x-ray diffraction after photoexcitation over the band gap. By monitoring the diffraction intensity of a superlattice reflection that is directly related to the structural order parameter of the soft-mode driven antiferrodistortive phase in Ca:SrTiO_{3}, we observe an ultrafast relaxation on a 0.2 ps timescale of the rotation of the oxygen octahedron, which is found to be independent of the initial temperature despite large changes in the corresponding soft-mode frequency. A further, much smaller reduction on a slower picosecond timescale is attributed to thermal effects. Time-dependent density-functional-theory calculations show that the fast response can be ascribed to an ultrafast displacive modification of the soft-mode potential towards the normal state induced by holes created in the oxygen 2p states.
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The prototypical magnetic memory shape alloy Ni_{2}MnGa undergoes various phase transitions as a function of the temperature, pressure, and doping. In the low-temperature phases below 260 K, an incommensurate structural modulation occurs along the [110] direction which is thought to arise from the softening of a phonon mode. It is not at present clear how this phenomenon is related, if at all, to the magnetic memory effect. Here we report time-resolved measurements which track both the structural and magnetic components of the phase transition from the modulated cubic phase as it is brought into the high-symmetry phase. The results suggest that the photoinduced demagnetization modifies the Fermi surface in regions that couple strongly to the periodicity of the structural modulation through the nesting vector. The amplitude of the periodic lattice distortion, however, appears to be less affected by the demagnetization.
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Femtosecond time-resolved x-ray diffraction is used to study a photoinduced phase transition between two charge density wave (CDW) states in 1T-TaS_{2}, namely the nearly commensurate (NC) and the incommensurate (I) CDW states. Structural modulations associated with the NC-CDW order are found to disappear within 400 fs. The photoinduced I-CDW phase then develops through a nucleation and growth process which ends 100 ps after laser excitation. We demonstrate that the newly formed I-CDW phase is fragmented into several nanometric domains that are growing through a coarsening process. The coarsening dynamics is found to follow the universal Lifshitz-Allen-Cahn growth law, which describes the ordering kinetics in systems exhibiting a nonconservative order parameter.
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The study of photoexcited strongly correlated materials is attracting growing interest since their rich phase diagram often translates into an equally rich out-of-equilibrium behaviour. With femtosecond optical pulses, electronic and lattice degrees of freedom can be transiently decoupled, giving the opportunity of stabilizing new states inaccessible by quasi-adiabatic pathways. Here we show that the prototype Mott-Hubbard material V2O3 presents a transient non-thermal phase developing immediately after ultrafast photoexcitation and lasting few picoseconds. For both the insulating and the metallic phase, the formation of the transient configuration is triggered by the excitation of electrons into the bonding a1g orbital, and is then stabilized by a lattice distortion characterized by a hardening of the A1g coherent phonon, in stark contrast with the softening observed upon heating. Our results show the importance of selective electron-lattice interplay for the ultrafast control of material parameters, and are relevant for the optical manipulation of strongly correlated systems.
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We present an experimental and theoretical study exploring surface effects on the evolution of the metal-insulator transition in the model Mott-Hubbard compound Cr-doped V{2}O{3}. We find a microscopic domain formation that is clearly affected by the surface crystallographic orientation. Using scanning photoelectron microscopy and x-ray diffraction, we find that surface defects act as nucleation centers for the formation of domains at the temperature-induced isostructural transition and favor the formation of microscopic metallic regions. A density-functional theory plus dynamical mean-field theory study of different surface terminations shows that the surface reconstruction with excess vanadyl cations leads to doped, and hence more metallic, surface states, which explains our experimental observations.
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By means of a longitudinal case study, we demonstrated the course of cerebral reorganization of language representation due to epilepsy in a child with benign epilepsy with centro-temporal spikes (BECTS) evolving to Landau-Kleffner Syndrome (LKS) and returning to BECTS. The child underwent the following procedures at the ages of 8.2, 8.6, and 9.3 years: 3D source EEG imaging, language fMRI (sentence generation and reading), and neuropsychological testing. He had a follow-up testing at the age of 10.8 years. Further, 24-h EEGs were regularly performed. At the age of around 8 years, the child was diagnosed initially with left-hemispheric BECTS, which evolved to LKS with continuous bilateral discharges. In addition, 3D source imaging data revealed a left anterior temporal focus with a spreading to the right parietal and left centro-parietal areas. The patient had verbal agnosia with poor verbal yet good performance indices. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) showed a left-hemispheric reading network but sentence generation was impossible to perform. After initiation of adequate treatment, continuous discharges disappeared, and only very rare left-hemispheric centro-temporal spikes remained. Verbal IQ and performance IQ increased at the age of 8.6 years. Functional magnetic resonance imaging showed, at this time, a right-hemispheric language activation pattern for sentence generation and reading. At the ages of 9.3 and 10.8 years, language tasks remained right-hemispheric and verbal IQ remained stable, but right-hemispheric non-verbal functions decreased due to possible crowding-out mechanisms.
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Encéfalo , Transtornos Cognitivos/etiologia , Síndrome de Landau-Kleffner/complicações , Síndrome de Landau-Kleffner/patologia , Transtornos do Desenvolvimento da Linguagem/etiologia , Recuperação de Função Fisiológica/fisiologia , Encéfalo/irrigação sanguínea , Encéfalo/patologia , Encéfalo/fisiopatologia , Criança , Eletroencefalografia , Feminino , Humanos , Processamento de Imagem Assistida por Computador , Testes de Inteligência , Testes de Linguagem , Estudos Longitudinais , Imageamento por Ressonância Magnética , Masculino , Testes Neuropsicológicos , Oxigênio/sangueRESUMO
We discuss the ultrafast evolution of the surface electronic structure of the topological insulator Bi(2)Te(3) following a femtosecond laser excitation. Using time and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, we provide a direct real-time visualization of the transient carrier population of both the surface states and the bulk conduction band. We find that the thermalization of the surface states is initially determined by interband scattering from the bulk conduction band, lasting for about 0.5 ps; subsequently, few picoseconds are necessary for the Dirac cone nonequilibrium electrons to recover a Fermi-Dirac distribution, while their relaxation extends over more than 10 ps. The surface sensitivity of our measurements makes it possible to estimate the range of the bulk-surface interband scattering channel, indicating that the process is effective over a distance of 5 nm or less. This establishes a correlation between the nanoscale thickness of the bulk charge reservoir and the evolution of the ultrafast carrier dynamics in the surface Dirac cone.
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The medical records of 20 cats with post-anesthetic cortical blindness were reviewed. Information collected included signalment and health status, reason for anesthesia, anesthetic protocols and adverse events, post-anesthetic visual and neurological abnormalities, clinical outcome, and risk factors. The vascular anatomy of the cat brain was reviewed by cadaver dissections. Thirteen cats were anaesthetised for dentistry, four for endoscopy, two for neutering procedures and one for urethral obstruction. A mouth gag was used in 16/20 cats. Three cats had had cardiac arrest, whereas in the remaining 17 cases, no specific cause of blindness was identified. Seventeen cats (85%) had neurological deficits in addition to blindness. Fourteen of 20 cats (70%) had documented recovery of vision, whereas four (20%) remained blind. Two cats (10%) were lost to follow up while still blind. Ten of 17 cats (59%) with neurological deficits had full recovery from neurological disease, two (12%) had mild persistent deficits and one (6%) was euthanased as it failed to recover. Four cats (23%) without documented resolution of neurological signs were lost to follow up. Mouth gags were identified as a potential risk factor for cerebral ischemia and blindness in cats.
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Anestesia/veterinária , Cegueira Cortical/veterinária , Doenças do Gato/induzido quimicamente , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso/veterinária , Complicações Pós-Operatórias/veterinária , Anestesia/efeitos adversos , Anestésicos/efeitos adversos , Animais , Cegueira Cortical/induzido quimicamente , Cegueira Cortical/epidemiologia , Cegueira Cortical/patologia , Doenças do Gato/epidemiologia , Doenças do Gato/patologia , Gatos , Feminino , Masculino , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso/induzido quimicamente , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso/epidemiologia , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso/patologia , Complicações Pós-Operatórias/induzido quimicamente , Complicações Pós-Operatórias/epidemiologia , Complicações Pós-Operatórias/patologia , Fatores de Risco , Resultado do TratamentoRESUMO
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of different nuclei is being evaluated as a treatment for epilepsy. While encouraging results have been reported, the effects of changes in stimulation parameters have been poorly studied. Here the effects of changes of pulse waveform in high frequency DBS (130 Hz) of the amygdala-hippocampal complex (AH) are presented. These effects were studied on interictal epileptic discharge rates (IEDRs). AH-DBS was implemented with biphasic versus pseudo monophasic charge balanced pulses, in two groups of patients: six with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) associated with hippocampal sclerosis (HS) and six with non lesional (NLES) temporal epilepsy. In patients with HS, IEDRs were significantly reduced with AH-DBS applied with biphasic pulses in comparison with monophasic pulse. IEDRs were significantly reduced in only two patients with NLES independently to stimulus waveform. Comparison to long-term seizure outcome suggests that IEDRs could be used as a neurophysiological marker of chronic AH-DBS and they suggest that the waveform of the electrical stimuli can play a major role in DBS. We concluded that biphasic stimuli are more efficient than pseudo monophasic pulses in AH-DBS in patients with HS. In patients with NLES epilepsy, other parameters relevant for efficacy of DBS remain to be determined.
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Tonsila do Cerebelo/fisiologia , Estimulação Encefálica Profunda , Epilepsia/fisiopatologia , Epilepsia/terapia , Hipocampo/fisiologia , Adulto , Estimulação Encefálica Profunda/métodos , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Resultado do Tratamento , Adulto JovemRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (NFLE) seizures occur primarily during non-rapid eye movement sleep stage 2. We observed in several patients rhythms of same localization and frequency as sleep spindles, immediately preceding and sometimes continuing at seizure onsets. We aimed to study the link between sleep spindles and seizure onsets. METHODS: We used intracerebral stereo-EEG ictal recordings of two MRI-negative patients with clinically defined NFLE. For each of the six studied seizures, sustained activity in the frontal sleep spindle frequency (12Hz) was observed around seizure onset. The duration of this pre-seizure sleep spindle was compared to that of the 10 preceding sleep spindles. RESULTS: The pre-seizure sleep spindles were clearly of longer duration than the "interictal" sleep spindles for all seizures. This sustained pre-seizure 12Hz activity could be differentiated from normal awakenings, and showed no spatial relation to the ictal onset. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated a functional alteration of the sleep spindle-generating thalamocortical loop concomitant with the seizure onsets. This defect may also be involved in seizure generation. SIGNIFICANCE: A thalamic participation in NFLE pathogenesis is likely in our two patients. The study of additional patients will allow to evaluate the role of the thalamocortical circuits in NFLE.
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Eletroencefalografia , Convulsões/fisiopatologia , Sono , Adolescente , Mapeamento Encefálico , Criança , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Polissonografia/métodosRESUMO
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy can be used to determine the side of seizure onset in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. Some patients with abnormal MR spectroscopy findings also have contralateral abnormalities, which in some cases have been reported to normalize after temporal lobe resection. With the aim of better understanding the mechanisms underlying abnormal MR spectroscopy findings, the current study was performed to define patient features that would predict this postoperative normalization. METHODS: Fifteen patients with temporal lobe epilepsy were subjected to preoperative and postoperative 1H-MR spectroscopy investigations, and the preoperative and postoperative metabolite levels in the contralateral hippocampus and contralateral lateral temporal lobe (CLTL) were determined. RESULTS: In the CLTL, postoperative normalization was more pronounced for patients showing extensive preoperative ipsilateral and contralateral abnormalities on MR spectroscopy. A second factor that influenced the degree to which the metabolite levels changed postoperatively was the focus lateralization. Surgery tended to have a more pronounced effect on the contralateral metabolite levels in patients with a right temporal focus, whereas in patients with left temporal foci, postoperative metabolite levels were virtually unchanged. In the contralateral hippocampal region, neither preoperative abnormalities nor focus side was related to postoperative normalization. CONCLUSIONS: We have thus identified 2 different factors (widespread preoperative MR spectroscopy abnormalities and right-sided focus) that predict postoperative normalization of contralateral MR spectroscopy abnormalities. We suggest that both factors indicate a more generalized epileptic disease (ie, that the patients in whom the MR spectroscopy abnormalities normalize are recovering from a more severe impairment).
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Dominância Cerebral/fisiologia , Eletroencefalografia , Metabolismo Energético/fisiologia , Epilepsia do Lobo Temporal/diagnóstico , Imageamento por Ressonância Magnética , Espectroscopia de Ressonância Magnética , Complicações Pós-Operatórias/diagnóstico , Lobo Temporal/patologia , Adulto , Ácido Aspártico/análogos & derivados , Ácido Aspártico/metabolismo , Atrofia , Colina/metabolismo , Creatina/metabolismo , Epilepsia do Lobo Temporal/fisiopatologia , Epilepsia do Lobo Temporal/cirurgia , Feminino , Hipocampo/patologia , Hipocampo/fisiopatologia , Hipocampo/cirurgia , Humanos , Masculino , Fosfocreatina/metabolismo , Complicações Pós-Operatórias/fisiopatologia , Prognóstico , Valores de Referência , Esclerose , Lobo Temporal/fisiopatologia , Lobo Temporal/cirurgiaRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Electroencephalography (EEG) source reconstruction is becoming recognized as a useful technique to non-invasively localize the epileptic focus. Whereas, large array magnetoencephalography (MEG) systems are available since quite some time, application difficulties have previously prevented multichannel EEG recordings. Recently, however, EEG systems which allow for quick (10-20min) application of, and recording from, up to 125 electrodes have become available. The purpose of the current investigation was to systematically compare the accuracy of epileptic source localization with high electrode density to that obtained with sparser electrode setups. METHODS: Interictal epileptiform activity was recorded with 123 electrodes in 14 epileptic patients undergoing presurgical evaluation. Each single epileptiform potential was down sampled to 63 and 31 electrodes, and a distributed source model (EPIFOCUS) was used to reconstruct the sources with the 3 different electrode configurations. The localization accuracy with the 3 electrode setups was then assessed, by determining the distance from the inverse solution, maximum of each single spike to the epileptogenic lesion. RESULTS: In 9/14 patients, the distance from the EEG source to the lesion was significantly smaller with 63 than with 31 electrodes, and increasing the number of electrodes to 123 increased this number of patients from 9 to 11. Simulations confirmed the relation between the number of electrodes and localization accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: The results illustrate the necessity of multichannel EEG recordings for high source location accuracy in epileptic patients.
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Encéfalo/fisiopatologia , Eletrodos , Eletroencefalografia/instrumentação , Epilepsia/fisiopatologia , Adolescente , Adulto , Mapeamento Encefálico , Criança , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-IdadeRESUMO
A 5-year-old Chihuahua presented for clinical signs of dysuria and penile prolapse. Radiographic studies identified a urethral obstruction distal to the junction of the proximal and middle third of the os penis that appeared to be secondary to swelling of the penis. Penile resection combined with a scrotal urethrostomy was performed. Histopathological examinations of tissue samples of the body of the penis revealed lymphosarcoma. Lymphosarcoma of the penis is a rare finding in all species. It can occur as a primary tumor of the penis in dogs. Penile lymphosarcoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of dogs affected with penile prolapse and dysuria.
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Doenças do Cão/diagnóstico , Linfoma não Hodgkin/veterinária , Neoplasias Penianas/veterinária , Obstrução Uretral/veterinária , Animais , Morte Súbita/veterinária , Diagnóstico Diferencial , Doenças do Cão/diagnóstico por imagem , Doenças do Cão/patologia , Cães , Linfoma não Hodgkin/complicações , Linfoma não Hodgkin/diagnóstico , Masculino , Neoplasias Penianas/complicações , Neoplasias Penianas/diagnóstico , Prolapso , Radiografia , Obstrução Uretral/etiologiaRESUMO
Small-intestine submucosa (SIS) is cell-free, 100-mu-thick collagen derived from the small intestine. It has been used as a vascular graft and has the highly desirable ability to be remodeled to become histologically indistinguishable from native adjacent artery. To date there has been limited reporting of its preimplantation and explant mechanical properties as a vascular graft. In this study, compliance, elastic modulus, and burst pressure were measured on preimplant-tested 5- and 8-mm SIS grafts and two 60-day remodeled grafts. Seven prefabricated grafts were implanted in the carotid (n = 7) in dogs, which were sacrificed after 55-63 days. The animals (n = 4) weighed from 22 to 27 kg. One dog received a unilateral carotid graft, and 3 dogs received bilateral carotid grafts. The fabrication technique employed hand-suturing with either nonresorbable or resorbable sutures. None of the grafts had a patency failure. Angiograms taken at 1 month and just before explantation showed uniform flow and no dilation. At the time of explantation, all carotid grafts were found to be encased in fibrous tissue. The grafts made with nonresorbable sutures showed thicker tissue growth at the suture line compared with those made with the resorbable sutures. Along the suture line, the grafts made with resorbable sutures exhibited a more natural color than those sutured with nonresorbable sutures. When the explanted carotid grafts were slit open, the lumen was white, shiny, and glistening. The grafts sutured with nonresorbable sutures exhibited small areas of fibrin and red blood cells when the suture was within the lumen. The resorbable-sutured grafts did not exhibit this response. The mean compliance (percent diameter increase for a pressure rise from 80 to 120 mm Hg) was on average 4.6% (range, 2.9%-8.6%) for the 5-mm preimplant-tested grafts. For the 8-mm preimplant-tested grafts, the increase in diameter for the same pressure rise was 8.7%, on average (range, 7.2% to 9.5%). For comparison, the small-diameter SIS graft at the time of implantation was about one half as compliant as the adjacent dog carotid artery, about 4 times more compliant than a typical vein graft, and more than 10 times more compliant than synthetic vascular grafts. The compliance measured on two 60-day carotid grafts was 10.5% and 7.2%, respectively. This is midway between the original compliance value and the compliance of a typical canine carotid artery (14%), indicating that mechanical remodeling occurred. The modulus of elasticity (E) increased exponentially with increasing pressure according to E = E0e alpha P, where E0 is the zero-pressure modulus and alpha is the exponent that describes the rate of increase in E with pressure; the unit of measure for variables E, E0, and P is g/cm2. The mean value for E0 was 4106 gm/cm2 (range, 1348-5601). The mean value for alpha was 0.0059 (range, 0.0028-0.0125). At 100 mm Hg, the mean value for E was 8.03 x 10(6) dynes/cm2 (range, 4.95-15.7 x 10(6)). For a 60-day SIS graft implant, the elastic modulus at 100 mm Hg decreased from a high value at implant time to twice that of a typical native canine carotid artery. The mean burst pressure for 5.5-mm grafts was 3517 mm Hg (range, 2069-4654). The burst pressure of the remodeled carotid grafts averaged 5660 mm Hg. The burst pressure for a typical carotid artery is about 5000 mm Hg. The results of this preliminary study complement those of previous SIS-vascular-graft studies and add a new factor, namely that the mechanical properties of the remodeled graft approach those of the vessel it replaces.
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Fenômenos Biomecânicos , Prótese Vascular , Mucosa Intestinal/transplante , Transplantes , Animais , Cães , Modelos Anatômicos , Técnicas de SuturaRESUMO
OBJECTIVES: Characterization of the EEG pattern during the early phase of a seizure is crucial for identifying the epileptic focus. The purpose of the present investigation was to evaluate a method that divides ictal EEG activity into segments of relatively constant surface voltage distribution, and to provide a 3-dimensional localization of the activity during the different segments. METHODS: For each timepoint the electrical voltage distribution on the scalp (the voltage map) was determined from the digitized EEG recording. Through a spatial cluster analysis time sequences where the maps did not change much (segments) were identified, and a 3-dimensional source reconstruction of the activity corresponding to the different mean maps was performed using a distributed linear inverse solution algorithm. RESULTS: Segments dominating early in seizure development were identified, and source reconstruction of the EEG activity corresponding to the maps of these segments yielded results which were consistent with the results from invasive recordings. In some cases a sequence of consecutive segments was obtained, which might reflect ictal propagation. CONCLUSIONS: Segmentation of ictal EEG with subsequent 3-dimensional source reconstruction is a useful method to non-invasively determine the initiation and perhaps also the spread of epileptiform activity in patients with epileptic seizures.
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Mapeamento Encefálico/métodos , Eletroencefalografia/métodos , Epilepsia Parcial Complexa/fisiopatologia , Epilepsia/fisiopatologia , Imageamento Tridimensional/métodos , Adolescente , Adulto , Encéfalo/patologia , Encéfalo/fisiopatologia , Criança , Epilepsia/patologia , Epilepsia Parcial Complexa/patologia , Epilepsia Parcial Complexa/cirurgia , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Fatores de TempoRESUMO
This paper considers the solution of the bioelectromagnetic inverse problem with particular emphasis on focal compact sources that are likely to arise in epileptic data. Two linear inverse methods are proposed and evaluated in simulations. The first method belongs to the class of distributed inverse solutions, capable of dealing with multiple simultaneously active sources. This solution is based on a Local Auto Regressive Average (LAURA) model. Since no assumption is made about the number of activated sources, this approach can be applied to data with multiple sources. The second method, EPIFOCUS, assumes that there is only a single focal source. However, in contrast to the single dipole model, it allows the source to have a spatial extent beyond a single point and avoids the non-linear optimization process required by dipole fitting. The performance of both methods is evaluated with synthetic data in noisy and noise free conditions. The simulation results demonstrate that LAURA and EPIFOCUS increase the number of sources retrieved with zero dipole localization error and produce lower maximum error and lower average error compared to Minimum Norm, Weighted Minimum Norm and Minimum Laplacian (LORETA). The results show that EPIFOCUS is a robust and powerful tool to localize focal sources. Alternatives to localize data generated by multiple sources are discussed. A companion paper (Lantz et al. 2001, this issue) illustrates the application of LAURA and EPIFOCUS to the analysis of interictal data in epileptic patients.
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Mapeamento Encefálico/métodos , Encéfalo/fisiopatologia , Fenômenos Eletromagnéticos , Epilepsia/fisiopatologia , Artefatos , Simulação por Computador , Humanos , Modelos LinearesRESUMO
Seven patients with complex partial epileptic seizures undergoing invasive video/EEG-monitoring were investigated with a combination of 10 subdural strip electrode contacts (subtemporal + lateral temporal), and 22 extracranial recording sites. In each patient spikes with different intracranial distributions were identified, and for those with similar distributions the extracranial activity was averaged. A new inverse solution method called EPIFOCUS (Grave et al. 2001, this issue) was used to reconstruct the sources of both single and averaged spikes in a standard 3D-MRI, and a statistical analysis was performed in order to demonstrate location differences between spikes with different intracranial distributions. The results revealed significantly more anterior and ventral source locations for subtemporal compared to lateral temporal spikes. Within the subtemporal group, medial spikes had more mesial and dorsal locations compared to lateral ones. In the lateral temporal group, more anterior and ventral locations were obtained for anterior compared to posterior spikes. The results demonstrate the applicability of EPIFOCUS in the localization of sources in the temporal lobe with sublobar accuracy. This possibility may become important in the future, for instance in identifying cases where amygdalo-hippocampectomy or other limited temporal lobe resections may replace the standard en bloc resections.
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Mapeamento Encefálico/métodos , Fenômenos Eletromagnéticos , Epilepsia/fisiopatologia , Lobo Temporal/fisiopatologia , Adulto , Feminino , Humanos , Processamento de Imagem Assistida por Computador , Imageamento Tridimensional , Imageamento por Ressonância Magnética , MasculinoRESUMO
Functional mapping of the human brain has made tremendous progress in the past years thanks to new technical developments. Imaging methods are now available; they allow to study brain functions with high spatial and temporal resolution. Single photon emission computer tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and high resolution electro- and magnetoencephalography (EEG and MEG) are currently intensively applied techniques to functional studies, each one having specific properties concerning spatial and temporal resolution. The success of these methods in basic neuroscience research has led to the demand for applying them to clinical questions. Diseases of the central nervous system that lead to brain dysfunction can be ideally explored using these techniques. Of particular importance are those diseases in which a focal neuronal dysfunction is the primary cause and where surgical resection of this focus might be the cure. This is often the case for epilepsy, where a discrete primary focus might exist from which pathological rhythms evolve and propagate throughout the brain, leading to seizures that severely handicap the patient. Surgical resection of the primary focus is only possible if the focus can be exactly localized and adequately separated from functionally important areas. This is where these new functional imaging tools become important. The use of SPECT and PET for focus localization has been most extensively studied and their specificity and sensitivity are intensively discussed. In the last few years functional MRI has evolved as a new interesting tool in epileptic focus localization. The most important limitation of these techniques, however, is the temporal resolution. Since epileptic activity can propagate very fast, several hyper- or hypoactive regions are seen in the images and primary areas cannot be distinguished from regions of propagation. The only methods that have sufficient temporal resolution to follow neuronal activity in real time are the electrophysiological measures, i.e. the EEG and the MEG. Localization of the sources in the brain that produced a given surface electromagnetic field has become possible through algorithms that solve the so-called "inverse problem". Several different algorithms exist and many groups begun to apply them to epileptic data with the aim to localize the focus of the pathological electrical discharges. This review article discusses the use of distributed EEG source localization procedures in the presurgical evaluation of patients with intractable focal epilepsy. In contrast to equivalent dipole models, distributed localization methods do not localize one active point in the brain but rather assume extended active areas, which is generally the case in epileptic activity. The methods shown here are based on linear numerical methods and are therefore less prone to errors when working with scattered solution spaces such as the one defined by anatomical constraints. Solutions constraint to the gray matter determined in the individual MRI are shown here. We illustrate three methods to increase the spatial resolution of the source localization procedures: One is to increase the number of recording channels to more than 100, the second to use linear methods of high precision to detect focal sources (EPIFOCUS), and the third to combine EEG source localization with EEG-triggered functional magnetic resonance imaging. The importance of EEG source localization for the interpretation of fMRI data will be particularly discussed in view of the important difference of the temporal resolution by the two methods. The localization methods can be applied to interictal as well as to ictal activity. In case of analysis of ictal EEG we propose to use full scalp frequency analysis to determine the time period of seizure onset and to localize the sources of the initial dominant frequency.