Interictal abnormal fMRI activation of visual areas during a motor task cued by visual stimuli in migraine / Ativação interictal anormal de áreas visuais por ressonância magnética funcional durante uma tarefa visuo-motora em indivíduos com enxaqueca

ABSTRACT Objective To assess changes in blood-oxygen-level-dependent activity after light deprivation compared to regular light exposure in subjects with migraine in the interictal state and in controls. Methods Ten subjects with migraine and ten controls participated in two sessions of functional magnetic resonance imaging. In each session, they performed a finger-tapping task with the right hand, cued by visual stimuli. They were scanned before and after 30 minutes of light deprivation or light exposure. In subjects with migraine, functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed interictally. Analysis of variance was made with the factors time (before or after), session (light deprivation or exposure), and group (migraine or control). Results There were significant “group” effects in a cluster in the bilateral cuneus encompassing the superior border of the calcarine sulcus and extrastriate cortex. There were no significant effects of “time”, “session”, or interactions between these factors. Conclusion The main result of this study is consistent with aberrant interictal processing of visual information in migraine. Light deprivation did not modulate functional magnetic resonance imaging activity in subjects with or without migraine.

RESUMO Objetivo Avaliar mudanças na atividade cerebral por meio de ressonância magnética funcional após privação luminosa comparada à exposição à luz, em indivíduos com enxaqueca no estado interictal e em controles. Métodos Dez indivíduos com enxaqueca e dez controles participaram de duas sessões de ressonância magnética funcional. Em cada sessão, realizaram uma tarefa motora com a mão direita guiada por estímulos visuais. Foram colhidas imagens antes e após 30 minutos de privação luminosa ou exposição à luz. Em indivíduos com enxaqueca, a ressonância funcional foi realizada no período interictal. Foi feita a análise de variância com fatores tempo (antes ou depois), sessão (privação ou exposição à luz) e grupo (enxaqueca ou controle). Resultados Houve efeitos significativos de “grupo” em uma área no cúneo bilateral, incluindo a borda superior do sulco calcarino e o córtex extraestriado. Não houve efeitos significativos de “tempo”, “sessão” ou interações entre estes fatores. Conclusão O principal resultado deste estudo sugere um processamento interictal anormal das informações visuais em indivíduos com enxaqueca. A privação luminosa não modulou a atividade na ressonância magnética funcional em indivíduos com ou sem enxaqueca.

Assessment of Cortical Visual Impairment in Infants with Periventricular Leukomalacia: a Pilot Event-Related fMRI Study

OBJECTIVE: We wanted to investigate the usefulness of event-related (ER) functional MRI (fMRI) for the assessment of cortical visual impairment in infants with periventricular leukomalacia (PVL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: FMRI data were collected from 24 infants who suffered from PVL and from 12 age-matched normal controls. Slow ER fMRI was performed using a 3.0T MR scanner while visual stimuli were being presented. Data analysis was performed using Statistical Parametric Mapping software (SPM2), the SPM toolbox MarsBar was used to analyze the region of interest data, and the time to peak (TTP) of hemodynamic response functions (HRFs) was estimated for the surviving voxels. The number of activated voxels and the TTP values of HRFs were compared. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to compare visual impairment evaluated by using Teller Acuity Cards (TAC) with the number of activated voxels in the occipital lobes in all patients. RESULTS: In all 12 control infants, the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal was negative and the maximum response was located in the anterior and superior part of the calcarine fissure, and this might correspond to the anterior region of the primary visual cortex (PVC). In contrast, for the 24 cases of PVL, there were no activated pixels in the PVC in four subjects, small and weak activations in six subjects, deviated activations in seven subjects and both small and deviated activations in three subjects. The number of active voxels in the occipital lobe was significantly correlated with the TAC-evaluated visual impairment (p < 0.001). The mean TTP of the HRFs was significantly delayed in the cases of PVL as compared with that of the normal controls. CONCLUSION: Determining the characteristics of both the BOLD response and the ER fMRI activation may play an important role in the cortical visual assessment of infants with PVL.

Participación y neuromodulación de la corteza extraestriada en estrabismo / Participation and neuromodulation of extrastriate cortex in strabismus

Introducción: algunas manifestaciones del estrabismo comparten con la epilepsia un origen cortical. Objetivo: correlacionar los hallazgos neurofuncionales y los cambios neuroadaptativos durante el manejo de una variedad de estrabismo concerniente a la presencia de un foco epileptógeno en fase ictal. Paciente y métodos: estudio prospectivo y observacional de una paciente con "síndrome estrábico de variabilidad angular" (SEVA), en quien se aplican diversos estudios neurofisiológicos en épocas distintas: mapeo cerebral digital, tomografía computada de emisión de fotón único (SPECT), electroculografía (EOG) y filmación infrarroja. Resultados: endotropia de rango variable y supresión, que durante el tratamiento cambia transitoriamente a desviación horizontal disociada (DHD) y finalmente a endoforia compensada. El primer mapeo mostró actividad lenta y paroxística, brotes de alto voltaje y mayor potencia temporal derecha; el segundo mostró asimetría de potencia y retraso en la electrogénesis y el tercero fue normal. El primer SPECT manifestó zona focal de hiperactividad metabólica epileptógena en fase ictal en región temporal derecha y zona de hipoperfusión focalizada frontoparietal izquierda, el segundo SPECT reveló disminución de la actividad en la zona hipermetabólica y del área de la zona hipometabólica. Los EOG y la filmación mostraron durante el tratamiento mejoría de la ganancia e incomitancia horizontal. Conclusiones: se evidenció la correlación entre actividad cortical ictal y esta variedad de estrabismo, además de algunos cambios neuroadaptativos que incluyeron disminución de la actividad epileptógena, la ganancia, la incomitancia horizontal y la coherencia interhemisférica, se observó también aumento en la frecuencia y la potencia hacia las regiones posteriores del cerebro.

Introduction: some strabismic manifestations share a cortical origen with epilepsy. Objective: prospective observational study of a patient with "variable angle strabismic syndrome" (VASS) in whom several neurophysiologic studies are conducted at different times: digital cerebral mapping: single photon emission computed tomography (DVD) and finally to compensated endoforia The first mapping showed slow and paroxistic activity; spikes of high voltage and higher right temporal potency. The second mapping showed potency asymetry and electrogenesis delay. Third mapping was normal. First SPECT showed a focal zone of epileptogenic metabolic hyper-activity in ictal phase at the right temporal region and a left frontoparietal focalized hypoperfresed zone. The second SPECT showed diminished activity in the hypermetabolic zone, and diminished area of the hypometabolic zone. EOG and films showed gain and horizontal inconsistence improvement. Conclusions: a correlation was found between cortical ictal activity and this type of strabismus, besides some neuroadaptative changes that included reduced epileptogenic activity, gain, horizontal incomitance and interhemispheric coherence. A rise in frequency and potency towards posterior regions of the brain was also observed.

Neuronal basis of amblyopia: a review.

Amblyopia is an acquired defect in vision due to an abnormal visual experience during a sensitive period of visual development. The neuronal basis of amblyopia is the study of the effects of "abnormal" environmental influences on the genetically programmed development of the visual processing system. Visual pathway development commences with ganglion cells forming the optic nerve. The process that guides these neurones initially to the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and then onto the visual cortex is genetically programmed. Initially this process is influenced by spontaneously generated impulses and neurotrophic factors. Following birth, visual stimuli modify and refine the genetically programmed process. Exposure to the visual environment includes the risk of abnormal inputs. Abnormal stimuli disrupt the formation of patterned inputs allowing alteration of visual cortical writing with reduction in ocular dominance columns driven by the abnormal eye. Correction of the abnormal visual input and penalisation of the "normal" input is the mainstay of therapy for amblyopia. Further understanding of the mechanisms involved in the development of a normal visual processing system will allow trialing therapies for amblyopia not responding to occlusion therapy. Levodopa is one agent providing insights into recovery of visual function for short periods in apparently mature visual systems.

Anomalous patterns of callosal connections develop in visual cortex of monocularly enucleated hamsters

In this study we analyzed the effect of neonatal monocular enucleation on the pattern of callosal connections in striate cortex of the golden hamster. Callosal connections were revealed in the hemisphere ipsilateral to the remaining eye following multiple injections of either the enzyme horseradish peroxidase or the fluorescent tracer Fluoro-Gold into the contralateral hemisphere. The most salient anomaly induced by the removal of one eye at birth is the appearance of a dense band of callosal connections that runs anteroposteriorly in medial portions of striate cortex. No obvious changes in the laminar distribution of callosal connections were observed. Comparison of our present results with those obtained by Olavarria et al (1987) in monocularly enucleated rats reveals that neonatal enucleation induces remarkably similar anomalies in the callosal patterns of rats and hamsters. This similarity suggests that the role the eyes play in the development of the visual callosal pathway is similar among rodent species. Moreover, the finding of an anomalous callosal band in striate cortex one-eyed hamsters supports the notion that disruption of visual input does not arrest callosal development, but rather leads to the development of entirely new features in the callosal pattern