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Objectives: Recovery of independent ambulation after stroke is a major goal. However, which rehabilitation regimen best benefits each individual is unknown and decisions are currently made on a subjective basis. Predictors of response to specific therapies would guide the type of therapy most appropriate for each patient. Although lesion topography is a strong predictor of upper limb response, walking involves more distributed functions. Earlier studies that assessed the cortico-spinal tract (CST) were negative, suggesting other structures may be important., Experimental Design: The relationship between lesion topography and response of walking speed to standard rehabilitation was assessed in 50 adult-onset patients using both volumetric measurement of CST lesion load and voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM) to assess non-CST structures. Two functional mobility scales, the functional ambulation category (FAC) and the modified rivermead mobility index (MRMI) were also administered. Performance measures were obtained both at entry into the study (3-42 days post-stroke) and at the end of a 6-week course of therapy. Baseline score, age, time since stroke onset and white matter hyperintensities score were included as nuisance covariates in regression models., Principal Observations: CST damage independently predicted response to therapy for FAC and MRMI, but not for walk speed. However, using VLSM the latter was predicted by damage to the putamen, insula, external capsule and neighbouring white matter., Conclusions: Walk speed response to rehabilitation was affected by damage involving the putamen and neighbouring structures but not the CST, while the latter had modest but significant impact on everyday functions of general mobility and gait. Hum Brain Mapp 37:689-703, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2015 The Authors Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objectives: Lesion detection in acute stroke by computed-tomography perfusion (CTP) can be affected by incomplete bolus coverage in veins and hypoperfused tissue, so-called bolus truncation (BT), and low contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). We examined the BT-frequency and hypothesized that image down-sampling and a vascular model (VM) for perfusion calculation would improve normo- and hypoperfused tissue classification., Methods: CTP datasets from 40 acute stroke patients were retrospectively analysed for BT. In 16 patients with hypoperfused tissue but no BT, repeated 2-by-2 image down-sampling and uniform filtering was performed, comparing CNR to perfusion-MRI levels and tissue classification to that of unprocessed data. By simulating reduced scan duration, the minimum scan-duration at which estimated lesion volumes came within 10% of their true volume was compared for VM and state-of-the-art algorithms., Results: BT in veins and hypoperfused tissue was observed in 9/40 (22.5%) and 17/40 patients (42.5%), respectively. Down-sampling to 128 × 128 resolution yielded CNR comparable to MR data and improved tissue classification (p = 0.0069). VM reduced minimum scan duration, providing reliable maps of cerebral blood flow and mean transit time: 5 s (p = 0.03) and 7 s (p < 0.0001), respectively)., Conclusions: BT is not uncommon in stroke CTP with 40-s scan duration. Applying image down-sampling and VM improve tissue classification., Key Points: • Too-short imaging duration is common in clinical acute stroke CTP imaging. • The consequence is impaired identification of hypoperfused tissue in acute stroke patients. • The vascular model is less sensitive than current algorithms to imaging duration. • Noise reduction by image down-sampling improves identification of hypoperfused tissue by CTP.

Purpose: Mapping the ischaemic penumbra in acute stroke is of considerable clinical interest. For this purpose, mapping tissue hypoxia with (18)F-misonidazole (FMISO) PET is attractive, and is straightforward compared to (15)O PET. Given the current emphasis on penumbra imaging using diffusion/perfusion MR or CT perfusion, investigating the relationships between FMISO uptake and abnormalities with these modalities is important., Methods: According to a prospective design, three patients (age 54-81 years; admission NIH stroke scale scores 16-22) with an anterior circulation stroke and extensive penumbra on CT- or MR-based perfusion imaging successfully completed FMISO PET, diffusion-weighted imaging and MR angiography 6-26 h after stroke onset, and follow-up FLAIR to map the final infarction. All had persistent proximal occlusion and a poor outcome despite thrombolysis. Significant FMISO trapping was defined voxel-wise relative to ten age-matched controls and mapped onto coregistered maps of the penumbra and irreversibly damaged ischaemic core., Results: FMISO trapping was present in all patients (volume range 18-119 ml) and overlapped mainly with the penumbra but also with the core in each patient. There was a significant (p ≤ 0.001) correlation in the expected direction between FMISO uptake and perfusion, with a sharp FMISO uptake bend around the expected penumbra threshold., Conclusion: FMISO uptake had the expected overlap with the penumbra and relationship with local perfusion. However, consistent with recent animal data, our study suggests FMISO trapping may not be specific to the penumbra. If confirmed in larger samples, this preliminary finding would have potential implications for the clinical application of FMISO PET in acute ischaemic stroke.

After stroke, penumbral salvage determines clinical recovery. However, the rescued penumbra may be affected by selective neuronal loss, as documented both histopathologically in animals and using the validated in vivo positron emission tomography marker (11)C-flumazenil in humans. However, whether the non-infarcted penumbra is capable of neuronal activation, and how selective neuronal loss may interfere, is unknown. Here we prospectively mapped the topographical relationships between functional magnetic resonance imaging responses and non-infarcted penumbra, and tested the hypothesis that the former do take place in the latter, but only in its subsets spared selective neuronal loss. Seven patients (mean age 74 years; three thrombolysed) with first-ever acute anterior circulation stroke, presence of penumbra on computed tomography perfusion performed within 6 h of onset, and substantial deficit on admission but good outcome at 1-3 months (National Institute of Health Stroke Score range 6-13 and 0-1, respectively, P = 0.001), were studied. At follow-up, patients underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging to map the infarct, functional magnetic resonance imaging (three tasks selected to probe the right or left hemisphere), and (11)C-flumazenil positron emission tomography generating binding potential maps. Patients with significant carotid or middle-cerebral artery disease or impaired vasoreactivity were excluded. Following image coregistration, the non-infarcted penumbra comprised all acutely ischaemic voxels (identified on acute computed tomography perfusion using previously validated thresholds) not part of the final infarct. To test our hypotheses, the overlap between functional magnetic resonance imaging activation clusters and non-infarcted penumbra was mapped, and binding potential values then computed both within and outside this overlap. In addition, the overlap between functional magnetic resonance imaging activation clusters and areas of significantly reduced binding potential (determined using Statistical Parametric Mapping against 16 age-matched control subjects) was assessed in each patient. An overlap between non-infarcted penumbra and functional magnetic resonance imaging clusters was present in seven of seven patients, substantial in four. Binding potential was significantly reduced in the whole non-infarcted penumbra (P < 0.01) but not within the functional magnetic resonance imaging overlap. Clusters with significantly reduced binding potential showed virtually no overlap with functional magnetic resonance imaging activation compared with 12 age-matched controls (P = 0.04).The results from this proof of principle study suggest that 1-3 months after stroke the non-infarcted penumbra is capable of neuronal activation, consistent with its established role in recovery of neurological functions. However, although the non-infarcted penumbra as a whole was affected by selective neuronal loss, activations tended to occur within portions spared selective neuronal loss, suggesting the latter impedes neuronal activation. Although its clinical correlates are still elusive, selective neuronal loss may represent a novel therapeutic target in the aftermath of ischaemic stroke.

Background: Increasing age is the single largest non-modifiable risk factor for ischaemic stroke. Animal models have substantiated the view that age related neuron vulnerability to ischaemia plays a role in stroke and other age related neurological diseases. Given the key role of the ischaemic penumbra in stroke pathophysiology, we hypothesised that age has an impact on penumbral tissue and its acute determinants., Methods: We studied a prospective cohort of patients (n=39) at a mean time of 154.7 min from stroke onset, using state of the art whole brain perfusion CT and CT angiography. Penumbral and core were defined using quantitative voxel based thresholds for mean transit time and cerebral blood volume (CBV). Collateral vessel scores were assessed and haemodynamic variables (ie, cerebral blood flow and CBV) were measured in affected and unaffected tissues., Results: While age correlated negatively with normalised penumbral volume (Kendall's τ b=-0.234, p=0.048) and lesion volume (Kendall's τ b=0.238, p=0.045), core volume remained unchanged, accompanied by an incremental collateral response with age (Kendall's τ b=0.496, p<0.0001). Haemodynamic variables remained unaffected by age in our cohort., Conclusions: These findings, described for the first time in a clinical cohort using whole brain CT perfusion and concomitant vascular imaging, suggest that age has a differential effect on acute tissue compartments in the wake of a preserved collateral vascular response and haemodynamic parameters. In agreement with the preclinical literature, the results point to a distinct tissue response to acute ischaemia in the ageing brain and merit validation studies in larger cohorts, particularly in relation to clinical outcomes.

The neural correlates of inner speech have been investigated previously using functional imaging. However, methodological and other limitations have so far precluded a clear description of the neural anatomy of inner speech and its relation to overt speech. Specifically, studies that examine only inner speech often fail to control for subjects' behaviour in the scanner and therefore cannot determine the relation between inner and overt speech. Functional imaging studies comparing inner and overt speech have not produced replicable results and some have similar methodological caveats as studies looking only at inner speech. Lesion analysis can avoid the methodological pitfalls associated with using inner and overt speech in functional imaging studies, while at the same time providing important data about the neural correlates essential for the specific function. Despite its advantages, a study of the neural correlates of inner speech using lesion analysis has not been carried out before. In this study, 17 patients with chronic post-stroke aphasia performed inner speech tasks (rhyme and homophone judgements), and overt speech tasks (reading aloud). The relationship between brain structure and language ability was studied using voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping. This showed that inner speech abilities were affected by lesions to the left pars opercularis in the inferior frontal gyrus and to the white matter adjacent to the left supramarginal gyrus, over and above overt speech production and working memory. These results suggest that inner speech cannot be assumed to be simply overt speech without a motor component. It also suggests that the use of overt speech to understand inner speech and vice versa might result in misleading conclusions, both in imaging studies and clinical practice.

Depicting the salvageable tissue is increasingly used in the clinical setting following stroke. As absolute cerebral blood flow (CBF) is difficult to measure using perfusion magnetic resonance or computed tomography and has limitations as a penumbral marker, time-based variables, particularly the mean transit time (MTT), are routinely used as surrogates. However, a direct validation of MTT as a predictor of the penumbra threshold using gold-standard positron emission tomography (PET) is lacking. Using (15)O-PET data sets obtained from two independent acute stroke samples (N=7 and N=30, respectively), we derived areas under the curve (AUCs), optimal thresholds (OTs), and 90%-specificity thresholds (90%-Ts) from receiver operating characteristic curves for absolute MTT, MTT delay, and MTT ratio to predict three penumbra thresholds ('classic': CBF <20  mL/100  g per min; 'normalized': CBF ratio <0.5; and 'stringent': both CBF <20  mL/100  g per min and oxygen extraction fraction >0.55). In sample 1, AUCs ranged from 0.79 to 0.92, indicating good validity; OTs ranged from 7.8 to 8.3  seconds, 2.8 to 4.7  seconds, and 151% to 267% for absolute MTT, MTT delay, and MTT ratio, respectively, while as expected, 90%-Ts were longer. There was no significant difference between sample 1 and sample 2 for any of the above measurements, save for a single MTT parameter with a single penumbra threshold. These consistent findings from gold-standard PET obtained in two independent cohorts document that MTT is a very good surrogate to CBF for depicting the penumbra threshold.

Background and Purpose: Watershed ischemia is a significant cause of stroke in severe carotid disease, but its pathophysiology is unsettled. Although hemodynamic compromise has long been regarded as the main mechanism-particularly with deep watershed infarction-there is some contradictory evidence from clinical and pathological studies for a role of microembolism, thought to result from plaque inflammation. However, no study so far has directly addressed these conflicting scenarios., Methods: In 16 consecutive patients with recent transient ischemic attack/minor stroke and ipsilateral 50% to 99% carotid stenosis, we prospectively obtained (1) plaque inflammation mapping with (18)F fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography; (2) brain MRI and perfusion MR; and (3) transcranial Doppler detection of microembolic signals (MES). Patients were excluded if on dual antiplatelets or with a potential cardiac source of emboli or contralateral MES., Results: We found the expected significant relationship between (1) degree of stenosis and severity of distal hemodynamic impairment in the watershed areas; and (2) degree of in vivo plaque inflammation and rate of MES/hr. Deep watershed infarcts were present in 8 patients and MES in 8 (3 with both). There was no systematic association between the presence of deep watershed infarcts and either hemodynamic impairment or MES, but deep watershed infarcts were present only when either hemodynamic impairment or MES was present (P=0.01)., Conclusions: This pilot study supports the idea that in symptomatic carotid disease, deep watershed infarcts result either from hemodynamic impairment secondary to severe lumen stenosis or from microembolism secondary to plaque inflammation. There was no direct evidence that both mechanisms act in synergy.

Not only finger tapping speed, but also tapping regularity can be impaired after stroke, contributing to reduced dexterity. The neural substrates of impaired tapping regularity after stroke are unknown. Previous work suggests damage to the dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) and prefrontal cortex (PFCx) affects externally-cued hand movement. We tested the hypothesis that these two areas are involved in impaired post-stroke tapping regularity. In 19 right-handed patients (15 men/4 women; age 45-80 years; purely subcortical in 16) partially to fully recovered from hemiparetic stroke, tri-axial accelerometric quantitative assessment of tapping regularity and BOLD fMRI were obtained during fixed-rate auditory-cued index-thumb tapping, in a single session 10-230 days after stroke. A strong random-effect correlation between tapping regularity index and fMRI signal was found in contralesional PMd such that the worse the regularity the stronger the activation. A significant correlation in the opposite direction was also present within contralesional PFCx. Both correlations were maintained if maximal index tapping speed, degree of paresis and time since stroke were added as potential confounds. Thus, the contralesional PMd and PFCx appear to be involved in the impaired ability of stroke patients to fingertap in pace with external cues. The findings for PMd are consistent with repetitive TMS investigations in stroke suggesting a role for this area in affected-hand movement timing. The inverse relationship with tapping regularity observed for the PFCx and the PMd suggests these two anatomically-connected areas negatively co-operate. These findings have implications for understanding the disruption and reorganization of the motor systems after stroke., (Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background and Purpose: In recovered subcortical stroke, the pattern of motor network activation during motor execution can appear normal or not, depending on the task. Whether this applies to other aspects of motor function is unknown. We used functional MRI to assess motor imagery (MI), a promising new approach to improve motor function after stroke, and contrasted it to motor execution., Methods: Twenty well-recovered patients with hemiparetic subcortical stroke (14 males; mean age, 66.5 years) and 17 aged-matched control subjects were studied. Extensive behavioral screening excluded 8 patients and 4 control subjects due to impaired MI abilities. Subjects performed MI and motor execution of a paced finger-thumb opposition sequence using a functional MRI paradigm that monitored compliance. Activation within the primary motor cortex (BA4a and 4p), dorsal premotor, and supplementary motor areas was examined., Results: The pattern of activation during affected-hand motor execution was not different from control subjects. Affected-hand MI activation was also largely similar to control subjects, including involvement of BA4, but with important differences: (1) unlike control subjects and the nonaffected hand, activation in BA4a and dorsal premotor was not lower during MI as compared with motor execution; (2) the hemispheric balance of BA4p activation was significantly less lateralized than control subjects; and (3) ipsilesional BA4p activation positively correlated with motor performance., Conclusions: In well-recovered subcortical stroke, the motor system, including ipsilesional BA4, is activated during MI despite the lesion. It, however, remains disorganized in proportion to residual motor impairment. Thus, components of movement upstream from execution appear differentially affected after stroke and could be targeted by rehabilitation in more severely affected patients.

Background and Purpose: Perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (pMR) is increasingly used in acute stroke, but its physiologic significance is still debated. A reasonably good correlation between pMR and positron emission tomography (PET) has been reported in normal subjects and chronic cerebrovascular disease, but corresponding validation in acute stroke is still lacking., Methods: We compared the cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral blood volume, and mean transit time (MTT) maps generated by pMR (deconvolution method) and PET ((15)O steady-state method) in 5 patients studied back-to-back with the 2 modalities at a mean of 16 hours (range, 7 to 21 hours) after stroke onset. We also determined the penumbra thresholds for pMR-derived MTT, time to peak (TTP), and Tmax against the previously validated probabilistic PET penumbra thresholds., Results: In all patients, the PET and pMR relative distribution images were remarkably similar, especially for CBF and MTT. Within-patient correlations between pMR and PET were strong for absolute CBF (average r(2)=0.45) and good for MTT (r(2)=0.35) but less robust for cerebral blood volume (r(2)=0.24). However, pMR overestimated absolute CBF and underestimated MTT, with substantial variability in individual slopes. Removing individual differences by normalization to the mean resulted in much stronger between-patient correlations. Penumbra thresholds of approximately 6, 4.8, and 5.5 seconds were obtained for MTT delay, TTP delay, and Tmax, respectively., Conclusions: Although derived from a small sample studied relatively late after stroke onset, our data show that pMR tends to overestimate absolute CBF and underestimate MTT, but the relative distribution of the perfusion variables was remarkably similar between pMR and PET. pMR appears sufficiently reliable for clinical purposes and affords reliable detection of the penumbra from normalized time-based thresholds.

Predicting tissue outcome early after stroke is an important goal. MRI >3 h accurately predicts infarction but is insensitive to selective neuronal loss (SNL). Previous studies suggest that chronic-stage 11 C-flumazenil PET (FMZ-PET) is a validated marker of SNL in rats, while early-stage FMZ-PET may predict infarction. Whether early FMZ-PET also predicts SNL is unknown. Following 45-min distal MCA occlusion, adult rats underwent FMZ-PET at 1 h and 48 h post-reperfusion to map distribution volume (VT), which reflects GABA-A receptor binding. NeuN immunohistochemistry was performed at Day 14. In each rat, VT and %NeuN loss were determined in 44 ROIs spanning the hemisphere. NeuN revealed isolated SNL and cortical infarction in five and one rats, respectively. In the SNL subgroup, VT-1 h was mildly reduced and only weakly predicted SNL, while VT-48 h was significantly increased and predicted SNL both individually (p < 0.01, Kendall) and across the group (p < 0.001), i.e. the higher the VT, the stronger the SNL. Similar correlations were found in the rat with infarction. Our findings suggest GABA-A receptors are still present on injured neurons at the 48 h timepoint, and the increased 48 h VT observed here is consistent with earlier rat studies showing early GABA-A receptor upregulation. That FMZ binding at 48 h was predictive of SNL may have clinical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern ischaemic stroke management involves intravenous thrombolysis followed by mechanical thrombectomy, which allows markedly higher rates of recanalization and penumbral salvage than thrombolysis alone. However, <50% of treated patients eventually enjoy independent life. It is therefore important to identify complementary therapeutic targets. In rodent models, the salvaged penumbra is consistently affected by selective neuronal loss, which may hinder recovery by interfering with plastic processes, as well as by microglial activation, which may exacerbate neuronal death. However, whether the salvaged penumbra in man is similarly affected is still unclear. Here we determined whether these two processes affect the non-infarcted penumbra in man and, if so, whether they are inter-related. We prospectively recruited patients with (i) acute middle-cerebral artery stroke; (ii) penumbra present on CT perfusion obtained <4.5 h of stroke onset; and (iii) early neurological recovery as a marker of penumbral salvage. PET with 11C-flumazenil and 11C-PK11195, as well as MRI to map the final infarct, were obtained at predefined follow-up times. The presence of selective neuronal loss and microglial activation was determined voxel-wise within the MRI normal-appearing ipsilateral non-infarcted zone and surviving penumbra masks, and their inter-relationship was assessed both across and within patients. Dilated infarct contours were consistently excluded to control for partial volume effects. Across the 16 recruited patients, there was reduced 11C-flumazenil and increased 11C-PK11195 binding in the whole ipsilateral non-infarcted zone (P = 0.04 and 0.02, respectively). Within the non-infarcted penumbra, 11C-flumazenil was also reduced (P = 0.001), but without clear increase in 11C-PK11195 (P = 0.18). There was no significant correlation between 11C-flumazenil and 11C-PK11195 in either compartment. This mechanistic study provides direct evidence for the presence of both neuronal loss and microglial activation in the ipsilateral non-infarcted zone. Further, we demonstrate the presence of neuronal loss affecting the surviving penumbra, with no or only mild microglial activation, and no significant relationship between these two processes. Thus, microglial activation may not contribute to penumbral neuronal loss in man, and its presence in the ipsilateral hemisphere may merely reflect secondary remote degeneration. Selective neuronal loss in the surviving penumbra may represent a novel therapeutic target as an adjunct to penumbral salvage to further improve functional outcome. However, microglial activation may not stand as the primary therapeutic approach. Protecting the penumbra by acutely improving perfusion and oxygenation in conjunction with thrombectomy for example, may be a better approach. 11C-flumazenil PET would be useful to monitor the effects of such therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CT-based perfusion and collateral imaging is increasingly used in the assessment of patients with acute stroke. Time of stroke onset is a critical factor in determining eligibility for and benefit from thrombolysis. Animal studies predict that the volume of ischemic penumbra decreases with time. Here, we evaluate if CT is able to detect a relationship between perfusion or collateral status, as assessed by CT, and time since stroke onset. Materials and methods We studied 53 consecutive patients with proximal vessel occlusions, mean (SD) age of 71.3 (14.9) years, at a mean (SD) of 125.2 (55.3) minutes from onset, using whole-brain CT perfusion (CTp) imaging. Penumbra was defined using voxel-based thresholds for cerebral blood flow (CBF) and mean transit time (MTT); core was defined by cerebral blood volume (CBV). Normalized penumbra fraction was calculated as Penumbra volume/(Penumbra volume + Core volume) for both CBF and MTT (PenCBF and PenMTT, respectively). Collaterals were assessed on CT angiography (CTA). CTp ASPECTS score was applied visually, lower scores indicating larger lesions. ASPECTS ratios were calculated corresponding to penumbra fractions. Results Both PenCBF and PenMTT showed decremental trends with increasing time since onset (Kendall's tau-b = -0.196, p = 0.055, and -0.187, p = 0.068, respectively). The CBF/CBV ASPECTS ratio, which showed a relationship to PenCBF (Kendall's tau-b = 0.190, p = 0.070), decreased with increasing time since onset (Kendall's tau-b = -0.265, p = 0.006). Collateral response did not relate to time (Kendall's tau-b = -0.039, p = 0.724). Conclusion Even within 4.5 h since stroke onset, a decremental relationship between penumbra and time, but not between collateral status and time, may be detected using perfusion CT imaging. The trends that we demonstrate merit evaluation in larger datasets to confirm our results, which may have potential wider applications, e.g., in the setting of strokes of unknown onset time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After stroke, penumbral salvage determines clinical recovery. However, the rescued penumbra may be affected by selective neuronal loss, as documented both histopathologically in animals and using the validated in vivo positron emission tomography marker 11C-flumazenil in humans. However, whether the non-infarcted penumbra is capable of neuronal activation, and how selective neuronal loss may interfere, is unknown. Here we prospectively mapped the topographical relationships between functional magnetic resonance imaging responses and non-infarcted penumbra, and tested the hypothesis that the former do take place in the latter, but only in its subsets spared selective neuronal loss. Seven patients (mean age 74 years; three thrombolysed) with first-ever acute anterior circulation stroke, presence of penumbra on computed tomography perfusion performed within 6 h of onset, and substantial deficit on admission but good outcome at 1–3 months (National Institute of Health Stroke Score range 6–13 and 0–1, respectively, P = 0.001), were studied. At follow-up, patients underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging to map the infarct, functional magnetic resonance imaging (three tasks selected to probe the right or left hemisphere), and 11C-flumazenil positron emission tomography generating binding potential maps. Patients with significant carotid or middle-cerebral artery disease or impaired vasoreactivity were excluded. Following image coregistration, the non-infarcted penumbra comprised all acutely ischaemic voxels (identified on acute computed tomography perfusion using previously validated thresholds) not part of the final infarct. To test our hypotheses, the overlap between functional magnetic resonance imaging activation clusters and non-infarcted penumbra was mapped, and binding potential values then computed both within and outside this overlap. In addition, the overlap between functional magnetic resonance imaging activation clusters and areas of significantly reduced binding potential (determined using Statistical Parametric Mapping against 16 age-matched control subjects) was assessed in each patient. An overlap between non-infarcted penumbra and functional magnetic resonance imaging clusters was present in seven of seven patients, substantial in four. Binding potential was significantly reduced in the whole non-infarcted penumbra (P < 0.01) but not within the functional magnetic resonance imaging overlap. Clusters with significantly reduced binding potential showed virtually no overlap with functional magnetic resonance imaging activation compared with 12 age-matched controls (P = 0.04).The results from this proof of principle study suggest that 1–3 months after stroke the non-infarcted penumbra is capable of neuronal activation, consistent with its established role in recovery of neurological functions. However, although the non-infarcted penumbra as a whole was affected by selective neuronal loss, activations tended to occur within portions spared selective neuronal loss, suggesting the latter impedes neuronal activation. Although its clinical correlates are still elusive, selective neuronal loss may represent a novel therapeutic target in the aftermath of ischaemic stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Studies attempting to map post-stroke cognitive or motor symptoms to lesion location have been available in the literature for over 150years. In the last two decades, two computational techniques have been developed to identify the lesion sites associated with behavioural impairments. Voxel Based Morphometry (VBM) has now been used extensively for this purpose in many different patient populations. More recently, Voxel-based Lesion Symptom Mapping (VLSM) was developed specifically for the purpose of identifying lesion–symptom relationships in stroke patients, and has been used extensively to study, among others functions, language, motor abilities and attention. However, no studies have compared the results of these two techniques so far. In this study we compared VLSM and VBM in a cohort of 20 patients with chronic post-stroke aphasia. Comparison of the two techniques showed overlap in regions previously found to be relevant for the tasks used, suggesting that using both techniques and looking for overlaps between them can increase the reliability of the results obtained. However, overall VBM and VLSM provided only partially concordant results and the differences between the two techniques are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The neural correlates of inner speech have been investigated previously using functional imaging. However, methodological and other limitations have so far precluded a clear description of the neural anatomy of inner speech and its relation to overt speech. Specifically, studies that examine only inner speech often fail to control for subjects’ behaviour in the scanner and therefore cannot determine the relation between inner and overt speech. Functional imaging studies comparing inner and overt speech have not produced replicable results and some have similar methodological caveats as studies looking only at inner speech. Lesion analysis can avoid the methodological pitfalls associated with using inner and overt speech in functional imaging studies, while at the same time providing important data about the neural correlates essential for the specific function. Despite its advantages, a study of the neural correlates of inner speech using lesion analysis has not been carried out before. In this study, 17 patients with chronic post-stroke aphasia performed inner speech tasks (rhyme and homophone judgements), and overt speech tasks (reading aloud). The relationship between brain structure and language ability was studied using voxel-based lesion–symptom mapping. This showed that inner speech abilities were affected by lesions to the left pars opercularis in the inferior frontal gyrus and to the white matter adjacent to the left supramarginal gyrus, over and above overt speech production and working memory. These results suggest that inner speech cannot be assumed to be simply overt speech without a motor component. It also suggests that the use of overt speech to understand inner speech and vice versa might result in misleading conclusions, both in imaging studies and clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In acute stroke, the target of therapy is the severely hypoxic but salvageable tissue. Previous human studies using 18F-fluoromisonidazole and positron emission tomography (18F-FMISO PET) have shown high tracer retention indicative of tissue hypoxia, which had normalized at repeat scan >48 h later. In the only validation study of 18F-FMISO, using ex vivo autoradiography in thread middle cerebral artery occluded (MCAo) rats, there was unexpected high uptake as late as 22 h after reperfusion, raising questions about the use of 18F-FMISO as a hypoxia tracer. Here we report a pilot study of 18F-FMISO PET in experimental stroke. Spontaneous hypertensive rats were subjected to distal clip MCAo. Three-hour dynamic PET was performed in 7 rats: 3 normals, 1 with permanent MCAo (two sessions: 30 mins and 48 h after clip), and 3 with temporary MCAo (45 mins, n=1; 120 mins, n=2; scanning started 30 mins after clip removal). Experiments were terminated by perfusion–fixation for standard histopathology. Late tracer retention was assessed by both compartmental modelling and simple side-to-side ratios. In the initial PET session of the permanent MCAo rat, striking trapping of 18F-FMISO was observed in the affected cortex, which had normalized 48 h later; histopathology revealed pannecrosis. In contrast, there was no demonstrable tracer retention in either temporary MCAo models, and histopathology showed ischemic changes only. These results document elevated 18F-FMISO uptake in the stroke area only in the early phase of MCAo, but not after early reperfusion nor when tissue necrosis has developed. These findings strongly support the validity of 18F-FMISO as a marker of viable hypoxic tissue/penumbra after stroke.Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism (2007) 27, 679–689. doi:10.1038/sj.jcbfm.9600405; published online 11 October 2006 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with non-fluent aphasias display impairments of expressive and receptive grammar. This has been attributed to deficits in processing configurational and hierarchical sequencing relationships. This hypothesis had not been formally tested. It was also controversial whether impairments are specific to language, or reflect domain general deficits in processing structured auditory sequences. Here we used an artificial grammar learning paradigm to compare the abilities of controls to participants with agrammatic aphasia of two different aetiologies: stroke and frontotemporal dementia. Ten patients with non-fluent variant primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA), 12 with non-fluent aphasia due to stroke, and 11 controls implicitly learned a novel mixed-complexity artificial grammar designed to assess processing of increasingly complex sequencing relationships. We compared response profiles for otherwise identical sequences of speech tokens (nonsense words) and tone sweeps. In all three groups the ability to detect grammatical violations varied with sequence complexity, with performance improving over time and being better for adjacent than non-adjacent relationships. Patients performed less well than controls overall, and this was related more strongly to aphasia severity than to aetiology. All groups improved with practice and performed well at a control task of detecting oddball nonwords. Crucially, group differences did not interact with sequence complexity, demonstrating that aphasic patients were not disproportionately impaired on complex structures. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed that response patterns were very similar across all three groups, but very different between the nonsense word and tone tasks, despite identical artificial grammar structures. Overall, we demonstrate that agrammatic aphasics of two different aetiologies are not disproportionately impaired on complex sequencing relationships, and that the learning of phonological and non-linguistic sequences occurs independently. The similarity of profiles of discriminatory abilities and rule learning across groups suggests that insights from previous studies of implicit sequence learning in vascular aphasia are likely to prove applicable in nfvPPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: No study so far has attempted to map the 3D topography of brain hypoxia in the individual rat in vivo following middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo). In a previous microPET study, we reported that 18F-fluoromisonidazole (18F-MISO) trapping in the brain after MCAo was specific for the hypoxic viable tissue. Here, we used 18F-MISO microPET to map the 3D topography of brain hypoxia in the acute stage of permanent distal MCAo in individual spontaneously hypertensive rats. Normal rats were also studied. 18F-MISO was intravenously injected approximately 1h after clip placement and PET data were acquired for 2 hours. Animals were sacrificed and the brains harvested 48h later for infarct mapping using standard histopathology. As expected, continuous 18F-MISO trapping was found over the affected relative to unaffected and control MCA cortex. Using single-subject voxel-based statistical mapping, tracer accumulation 90–120 min after injection was consistently significantly higher in the anterior MCA cortex (proximal relative to clip site) and gradually decreased towards posterior areas, a pattern consistent with the classic penumbra concept. The data also suggested that (i) a portion of the significant 18F-MISO trapping area may sit outside the contours of the final infarct despite the permanent MCAo, suggesting that 18F-MISO may be a marker not only of severe (penumbral) but also of milder (oligemic) hypoxia, and (ii) small portions of the final infarct may not exhibit early tracer trapping, suggesting that by the time the tracer was administered this tissue had already progressed to irreversible damage. This study shows the feasibility of single-subject mapping of brain hypoxia following MCAo in the rat, which has potential applications in pathophysiological investigations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]