Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in 13 Neurologic Pot-Bellied Pigs.

This study reports the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in 13 pot-bellied pigs presented to our institution with neurological deficits. Nine pigs had abnormal MRI findings (7 with spinal cord localization and 2 with brain localization), with three of them having histopathological confirmation of the diagnoses. MRI diagnoses included a myopathy suspected to be secondary to Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, a round cell neoplasia involving the vertebral canal, myelomalacia, a cervical cyst like extradural lesion, pelvic fracture with secondary cauda equina involvement, two cases of fibrocartilaginous embolism or acute non-compressive nucleus pulposus extrusion, multifocal brain infarcts, and a cystic fourth ventricle dilation resulting in obstructive hydrocephalus and syringomyelia. Four pigs had normal MRI studies, with one of them ultimately diagnosed with idiopathic vestibular disease. This retrospective study illustrates the wide variety of diagnoses achieved with MRI of the head or vertebral column in pigs, several of them having never been described in this species. Some of the conditions identified had a good outcome. This justifies using MRI as an ante-mortem diagnostic tool as it can provide relevant information about the prognosis which can significantly influence treatment recommendations. Our findings suggest that MRI should be considered as a valuable imaging modality, when feasible, in pigs with neurological deficits.

IMAGING DIAGNOSIS -ANTEMORTEM DETECTION OF OLIGODENDROGLIOMA "CEREBROSPINAL FLUID DROP METASTASES" IN A DOG BY SERIAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING.

An English Bulldog underwent radiation therapy of an intracranial, left lateral ventricle mass. Following resolution of the primary mass, an intraventricular fourth ventricle lesion developed. Subsequently, multiple lesions developed from the cervical central canal and leptomeninges. Serial magnetic resonance imaging documented the propagation of lesions along the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pathways, known as "CSF drop metastasis." Histopathology confirmed multifocal intraventricular and leptomeningeal oligodendroglioma. Oligodendroglioma should be included in the differential diagnosis for an intraventricular tumor exhibiting apparent CSF drop metastasis.

Decoding arm and hand movements across layers of the macaque frontal cortices.

A major goal for brain machine interfaces is to allow patients to control prosthetic devices with high degrees of independent movements. Such devices like robotic arms and hands require this high dimensionality of control to restore the full range of actions exhibited in natural movement. Current BMI strategies fall well short of this goal allowing the control of only a few degrees of freedom at a time. In this paper we present work towards the decoding of 27 joint angles from the shoulder, arm and hand as subjects perform reach and grasp movements. We also extend previous work in examining and optimizing the recording depth of electrodes to maximize the movement information that can be extracted from recorded neural signals.

Development of a closed-loop feedback system for real-time control of a high-dimensional Brain Machine Interface.

As the field of neural prosthetics advances, Brain Machine Interface (BMI) design requires the development of virtual prostheses that allow decoding algorithms to be tested for efficacy in a time- and cost-efficient manner. Using an x-ray and MRI-guided skeletal reconstruction, and a graphic artist's rendering of an anatomically correct macaque upper limb, we created a virtual avatar capable of independent movement across 27 degrees-of-freedom (DOF). Using a custom software interface, we animated the avatar's movements in real-time using kinematic data acquired from awake, behaving macaque subjects using a 16 camera motion capture system. Using this system, we demonstrate real-time, closed-loop control of up to 27 DOFs in a virtual prosthetic device. Thus, we describe a practical method of testing the efficacy of high-complexity BMI decoding algorithms without the expense of fabricating a physical prosthetic.