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Cerebral artery segmentation plays an important role in the direct visualization of the human brain to obtain vascular system information. On ultra-high field magnetic resonance imaging, cerebral arteries appearing hyperintense on T1 weighted (T1w) images could be segmented from brain tissues such as gray and white matter. In this study, we propose an automated method to segment the cerebral arteries using multi-contrast images including T1w images of a magnetization-prepared two rapid acquisition gradient echo (MP2RAGE) sequence at 7 T. The proposed method, termed MP2rase-CA (MP2rage based RApid SEgmentation Cerebral Artery), employed a seed-based region-growing strategy and Frangi filtering as well as our brain tissue segmentation (MP2rase Brain Tissue). Time-of-flight (TOF) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) images were obtained as a reference to evaluate the MP2rase-CA. We successfully performed vessel segmentations, from T1w MP2RAGE images, which mostly overlapped with the segmentations of large cerebral arteries from the TOF-MRA. We also investigated the effect of the large cerebral arteries on spatial transformation of anatomical images to standard coordinate space using vessel segmentation by MP2rase-CA. As a result, the T1w image without the cerebral arteries by MP2rase-CA showed better agreement with the standard atlas compared with the T1w image containing the arteries. In addition, voxel-based morphology showed significant differences between T1w images with and without cerebral arteries in brain areas nearby large arteries. Thus, because MP2rase-CA using MP2RAGE images can obtain brain tissue anatomical information as well as relatively large cerebral artery information without need for additional structure acquisition, it is useful and time saving for functional and structural studies., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest HK was employed by Siemens Healthcare K.K. Siemens Healthcare K.K. did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis. UC and IK have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We proposed a method for segmentation of brain tissues-gray matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid-using multi-contrast images, including a T1 map and a uniform T1-weighted image, from a magnetization-prepared 2 rapid acquisition gradient echoes (MP2RAGE) sequence at 7 Tesla. The proposed method was evaluated with respect to the processing time and the similarity of the segmented masks of brain tissues with those obtained using FSL, FreeSurfer, and SPM12. The processing time of the proposed method (28 ± 0 s) was significantly shorter than those of FSL and SPM12 (444 ± 4 s and 159 ± 2 s for FSL and SPM12, respectively). In the similarity assessment, the tissue mask of the brain obtained by the proposed method showed higher consistency with those obtained using FSL than with those obtained using SPM12. The proposed method misclassified the subcortical structures and large vessels since it is based on the intensities of multi-contrast images obtained using MP2RAGE, which uses a similar segmentation approach as FSL but is not based on a template image or a parcellated brain atlas, which are used for FreeSurfer and SPM12, respectively. However, the proposed method showed good segmentation in the cerebellum and white matter in the medial part of the brain in comparison with the other methods. Thus, because the proposed method using different contrast images of MP2RAGE sequence showed the shortest processing time and similar segmentation ability as the other methods, it may be useful for both neuroimaging research and clinical diagnosis., Competing Interests: HK and TK are employed by Siemens Healthcare. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. Siemens Healthcare did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The other authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to compare periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction-type turbo spin echo diffusion-weighted imaging (pTSE-DWI) and readout-segmented echo planar imaging (rsEPI-DWI) with single-shot echo planar imaging (ssEPI-DWI) in a 7 T human MR system. We evaluated the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), image distortion, and apparent diffusion coefficient values in the human brain., Materials and Methods: Six healthy volunteers were included in this study. The study protocol was approved by our institutional review board. All measurements were performed at 7 T using pTSE-DWI, rsEPI-DWI, and ssEPI-DWI sequences. The spatial resolution was 1.2 × 1.2 mm in-plane with a 3-mm slice thickness. Signal-to-noise ratio was measured using 2 scans., Results: The ssEPI-DWI sequence showed significant image blurring, whereas pTSE-DWI and rsEPI-DWI sequences demonstrated high image quality with low geometrical distortion compared with reference T2-weighted, turbo spin echo images. Signal loss in ventral regions near the air-filled paranasal sinus/nasal cavity was found in ssEPI-DWI and rsEPI-DWI but not pTSE-DWI. The apparent diffusion coefficient values for ssEPI-DWI were 824 ± 17 × 10 and 749 ± 25 × 10 mm/s in the gray matter and white matter, respectively; the values obtained for pTSE-DWI were 798 ± 21 × 10 and 865 ± 40 × 10 mm/s; and the values obtained for rsEPI-DWI were 730 ± 12 × 10 and 722 ± 25 × 10 mm/s. The pTSE-DWI images showed no additional distortion comparison to the T2-weighted images, but had a lower SNR than ssEPI-DWI and rsEPI-DWI. The rsEPI-DWI sequence provided high-quality images with minor distortion and a similar SNR to ssEPI-DWI., Conclusions: Our results suggest that the benefits of the rsEPI-DWI and pTSE-DWI sequences, in terms of SNR, image quality, and image distortion, appear to outweigh those of ssEPI-DWI. Thus, pTSE-DWI and rsEPI-DWI at 7 T have great potential use for clinical diagnoses. However, it is noteworthy that both sequences are limited by the scan time required. In addition, pTSE-DWI has limitations on the number of slices due to specific absorption rate. Overall, rsEPI-DWI is a favorable imaging sequence, taking into account the SNR and image quality at 7 T.

The thyroid hormone is essential for the proper development of the central nervous system (CNS). Hormone deficiency during CNS development causes neurological abnormalities in the brain. The hippocampus is one of the brain regions vulnerable to hormone deficiency, and the volume of dentate gyrus (DG) and cornu ammonis (CA) are reduced by transient hypothyroidism during CNS development. However, it remains unclear whether transient hypothyroidism specifically reduces the whole hippocampal volume. In the present study, we used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine the effects of perinatal hypothyroidism on the ratio of hippocampal volume to brain volume as well as brain and hippocampal volumes overall. Perinatal hypothyroidism was induced by adding the anti-thyroid drug, methimazole, to the drinking water of pregnant dams from gestational day 15 to postnatal day 21. The MRI experiment was conducted when the rats were between 7 and 11 months old. The results showed reductions of the hippocampal and brain volume of the treated group. However, the ratio of hippocampal volume to brain volume was comparable between the control and treated groups. These results indicate that perinatal hypothyroidism minimizes the brain as a whole, but does not minimize the hippocampus in particular.

Studies of cognitive function in individuals with HIV infection who remain relatively asymptomatic have shown widely variable estimates of impairment in different races and countries. Limited data exist on the impact of early asymptomatic HIV infection on cognition in developing nations, and indeed none from Nigeria. Hence, this cross-sectional study sets out to determine whether there are differences between Nigerian asymptomatic HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative subjects, and whether such differences: if any, could be explained by the degree of immunosuppression (i.e. CD4 cell count). A selected population of 60 heterosexual asymptomatic treatment-naive HIV-positive subjects were administered the Community Screening Instrument for Dementia (CSI-D) to assess language, memory, registration, attention and calculation, recall, praxis and orientation. HIV positives differed from individually matched control subjects in certain measures of language expression, registration, attention and calculation, orientation to time, motor response and total CSI-D scores. The CD4 cell count of the HIV-seropositive subjects had no significant correlation with the cognitive test scores.

Quantitative magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and imaging (MRI) measurements of energy metabolism (i.e., cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen consumption, CMRo2), blood circulation (i.e., cerebral blood flow, CBF; and cerebral blood volume, CBV), and functional MRI (fMRI) were used to interpret the physiological basis of blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) image contrast at 7 T in rat brain. Multimodal signals over a wide range of activity, for primarily glutamatergic neurons, were measured. Because each parameter that can influence the BOLD image contrast was measured quantitatively and separately, multimodal measurements of changes in CMRo2, CBF, CBV, and BOLD signal allowed calibration as well as validation of fMRI. Good agreement between changes in CMRo2 calculated from BOLD theory and measured by 13C MRS reveal that BOLD signal changes at 7 T are closely linked with alterations in neuronal glucose oxidation of glutamatergic neurons, both for activation and deactivation paradigms. Additional neurochemical and neurophysiological studies with fMRI suggest that the BOLD response from the cerebral cortex is closely linked to neurotransmitter release and energetic demand of glutamatergic neurons. Thus, calibrated fMRI may be used to reflect energetic changes of ensembles of glutamatergic neurons in the cerebral cortex.

Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS) measurements of energy metabolism (i.e. cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen consumption, CMR(O2)), blood circulation (i.e. cerebral blood flow, CBF, and volume, CBV), and functional MRI (fMRI) signal over a wide range of neuronal activity and pharmacological treatments are used to interpret the neurophysiologic basis of blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) image-contrast at 7 T in glutamatergic neurons of rat cerebral cortex. Multi-modal MRI and MRS measurements of CMR(O2), CBF, CBV and BOLD signal (both gradient-echo and spin-echo) are used to interpret the neuroenergetic basis of BOLD image-contrast. Since each parameter that can influence the BOLD image-contrast is measured quantitatively and separately, multi-modal measurements of changes in CMR(O2), CBF, CBV, BOLD fMRI signal allow calibration and validation of the BOLD image-contrast. Good agreement between changes in CMR(O2) calculated from BOLD theory and measured by (13)C MRS, reveals that BOLD fMRI signal-changes at 7 T are closely linked with alterations in neuronal glucose oxidation, both for activation and deactivation paradigms. To determine the neurochemical basis of BOLD, pharmacological treatment with lamotrigine, which is a neuronal voltage-dependent Na(+) channel blocker and neurotransmitter glutamate release inhibitor, is used in a rat forepaw stimulation model. Attenuation of the functional changes in CBF and BOLD with lamotrigine reveals that the fMRI signal is associated with release of glutamate from neurons, which is consistent with a link between neurotransmitter cycling and energy metabolism. Comparisons of CMR(O2) and CBF over a wide dynamic range of neuronal activity provide insight into the regulation of energy metabolism and oxygen delivery in the cerebral cortex. The current results reveal the energetic and physiologic components of the BOLD fMRI signal and indicate the required steps towards mapping neuronal activity quantitatively by fMRI at steady-state. Consequences of these results from rat brain for similar calibrated BOLD fMRI studies in the human brain are discussed., (Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS) were used at a magnetic field strength of 7 T to measure CBF and CMRO2 in the sensorimotor cortex of mature rats at different levels of cortical activity. In rats maintained on morphine anesthesia, transitions to lower activity and higher activity states were produced by administration of pentobarbital and nicotine, respectively. Under basal conditions of morphine sulfate anesthesia, CBF was 0.75 +/- 0.09 mL x g(-1) x min(-1) and CMRO2 was 3.15 +/- 0.18 micromol x g(-1) x min(-1). Administration of sodium pentobarbital reduced CBF and CMRO2 by 66% +/- 16% and 61% +/- 6%, respectively (i.e., "deactivation"). In contrast, administration of nicotine hydrogen tartrate increased CBF and CMRO2 by 41% +/- 5% and 30% +/- 3%, respectively (i.e., "activation"). The resting values of CBF and CMRO2 for alpha-chloralose anesthetized rats were 0.40 +/- 0.09 mL x g(-1) x min(-1) and 1.51 +/- 0.06 micromol x g(-1) x min(-1), respectively. Upon forepaw stimulation, CBF and CMRO2 were focally increased by 34% +/- 10% and 26% +/- 12%, respectively, above the resting nonanesthetized values (i.e., "activation"). Incremental changes in CBF and CMRO2, when expressed as a percentage change for "deactivation" and "activation" from the respective control conditions, were linear (R2 = 0.997) over the entire range examined with the global and local perturbations. This tight correlation for cerebral oxygen delivery in vivo is supported by a recent model where the consequence of a changing effective diffusivity of the capillary bed for oxygen, D, has been hypothetically shown to be linked to alterations in CMRO2 and CBF. This assumed functional characteristic of the capillary bed can be theoretically assessed by the ratio of fractional changes in D with respect to changes in CBF, signified by omega. A value 0.81 +/- 0.23 was calculated for omega with the in vivo data presented here, which in turn corresponds to a supposition that the effective oxygen diffusivity of the capillary bed is not constant but presumably varies to meet local requirements in oxygen demand in a similar manner with both "deactivation" and "activation."

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the origin of the signal changes in the blood oxygenation level dependent effect (BOLD) and the influence of oxygen metabolism by utilizing near-infrared spectrophotometry (NIRS), which can measure deoxyhemoglobin (deoxyHb) content in blood vessels and redox states of cytochrome oxidase in whole tissue. Simultaneous MRI and NIRS measurements of the rat head were performed by changing oxygen concentrations in the inhalant gas. The signal intensity based on the BOLD effect depended on the influence of both arterial and venous blood deoxygenation in the brain, whose relative contributions differed at various points. In this paper, it is noteworthy that the differential apparent transverse relaxation rate between two conditions in the brain areas was linearly correlated with deoxyHb content determined by NIRS, except in severe hypoxia, and that no reduction of cytochrome oxidase occurred under the same conditions. These results indicate that the influence of hemodynamic changes on the signal intensity of the BOLD effect, and therefore functional MRI, can be elucidated by the NIRS information to determine actual changes of blood deoxygenation and blood volume.