Disruption of the Atrophy-based Functional Network in Multiple Sclerosis Is Associated with Clinical Disability: Validation of a Meta-Analytic Model in Resting-State Functional MRI.

Background In multiple sclerosis (MS), gray matter (GM) atrophy exhibits a specific pattern, which correlates strongly with clinical disability. However, the mechanism of regional specificity in GM atrophy remains largely unknown. Recently, the network degeneration hypothesis (NDH) was quantitatively defined (using coordinate-based meta-analysis) as the atrophy-based functional network (AFN) model, which posits that localized GM atrophy in MS is mediated by functional networks. Purpose To test the NDH in MS in a data-driven manner using the AFN model to direct analyses in an independent test sample. Materials and Methods Model fit testing was conducted with structural equation modeling, which is based on the computation of semipartial correlations. Model verification was performed in coordinate-based data of healthy control participants from the BrainMap database (https://www.brainmap.org). Model validation was conducted in prospectively acquired resting-state functional MRI in participants with relapsing-remitting MS who were recruited between September 2018 and January 2019. Correlation analyses of model fit indices and volumetric measures with Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores and disease duration were performed. Results Model verification of healthy control participants included 80 194 coordinates from 9035 experiments. Model verification in healthy control data resulted in excellent model fit (root mean square error of approximation, 0.037; 90% CI: 0.036, 0.039). Twenty participants (mean age, 36 years ± 9 [standard deviation]; 12 women) with relapsing-remitting MS were evaluated. Model validation in resting-state functional MRI in participants with MS resulted in deviation from optimal model fit (root mean square error of approximation, 0.071; 90% CI: 0.070, 0.072), which correlated with EDSS scores (r = 0.68; P = .002). Conclusion The atrophy-based functional network model predicts functional network disruption in multiple sclerosis (MS), thereby supporting the network degeneration hypothesis. On resting-state functional MRI scans, reduced functional network integrity in participants with MS had a strong positive correlation with clinical disability. © RSNA, 2021 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: In-hospital demographics report of national data in the United States from 2016 and review of a rapidly-progressive case.

BACKGROUND: This report highlights a rapidly progressive case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) whose time from symptom onset to death spanned less than two months. We also explore the most recently available in-patient demographics data for discharges with CJD in the United States. METHODS: We reviewed a CJD case and systematically analyzed a retrospective cohort of CJD discharges using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) to evaluate the existing national data on the status of CJD demographics and dispositions in the United States in 2016. RESULTS: An estimated total of 710 hospital discharges with a diagnosis of CJD were seen across the United States in 2016. According to HCUP, the average age of patients was 66.15 ±â€¯11.54 years with 48.6 % female. Average time to intubation from admission to hospital was 4.71 ±â€¯7.32 days with a rate of intubation of 6.34 %. The mean hospital cost was $19,901.25 ± $18,743.48. The rate of in-hospital mortality was 8.45 %. No significant geographical differences were noted (p = 0.49). No significant differences were seen among incidence in specific ethnic groups (p = 0.33) or income quartiles (p = 0.90). CONCLUSIONS: Our data shows that the incidence of CJD in 2016 appears to be equally distributed among individuals in the United States by demographic categories. Additionally, our case-study from 2019 illustrates an important example for diagnosing a rapidly-progressing case of CJD.

Anti-Hu-Associated Autoimmune Limbic Encephalitis in a Patient with PD-1 Inhibitor-Responsive Myxoid Chondrosarcoma.

Autoimmune encephalitis is an uncommon complication of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. This article reports a case of fatal anti-Hu-associated autoimmune limbic encephalitis presenting within 8 weeks following anti-PD1 therapy in a patient with myxoid chondrosarcoma and pre-existing anti-Hu antibodies. Although tumor reduction occurred in response to PD-1 inhibitor therapy, the patient had a rapidly progressive decline in neurologic function despite initial stabilization with immunosuppression. Considering the increasing use of immune checkpoint inhibitors for the treatment of various malignancies, an increase in the occurrence of neurologic adverse events is likely, requiring prompt intervention and enhanced pharmacovigilance in malignancies associated with onconeuronal antibodies.

Homonymous hemimacular thinning: a unique presentation of optic tract injury in neuromyelitis optica.

A 42-year-old African American woman with a 5-year history of neuromyelitis optica was found to have an incongruous homonymous hemianopia. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) showed corresponding left homonymous hemimacular thinning. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain demonstrated a demyelinating lesion in the left optic tract (OT) just anterior to the lateral geniculate nucleus and diffusion tensor magnetic resonance tractography confirmed axonal fiber loss in the left OT. This case illustrates the complementary and confirmatory roles of visual field testing, macular OCT, and neuroimaging in an OT lesion, which caused selective hemimacular thinning through retrograde degeneration.