Search

Brain functional connectivity (FC) changes and microstructural abnormalities are reported in infants born moderate and late preterm (MLPT). We evaluated the effect of low-grade (grades I, II) intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in MLPT babies on brain structural connectivity (SC) and FC. Babies born MLPT between January 2014 and May 2017 underwent brain ultrasound (US) at 72 h and 7 days after birth, and MRI at around term equivalent. The MRI protocol comprised T1- and T2-weighted sequences, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and resting-state functional MRI (fMRI). SC and FC were assessed using graph analysis. Of 350 MLPT neonates, 15 showed low-grade IVH on US at 72 h, for which brain MRI was available in 10. These 10 infants, with mean gestational age (GA) 34.0 ± 0.8 weeks, comprised the study group, and 10 MLPT infants of mean GA 33.9 ± 1.1 weeks, with no abnormalities on brain US and MRI, were control subjects. All study subjects presented modularity, small world topology, and rich club organization for both SC and FC. The patients with low-grade IVH had lower FC rich club coefficient and lower SC betweenness centrality in the left frontoparietal operculum, and lower SC rich club coefficient in the right superior orbitofrontal cortex than the control subjects. Topological and functional properties of mature brain connectivity are present in MLPT infants. IVH in these infants was associated with structural and functional abnormalities in the left frontoparietal operculum and right orbitofrontal cortex, regions related to language and cognition.

Background: Ischemic stroke is the most common cause of complex chronic disability and the third leading cause of death worldwide. In recovering stroke patients, peak activation within the ipsilesional primary motor cortex (M1) during the performance of a simple motor task has been shown to exhibit an anterior shift in many studies and a posterior shift in other studies. Objective: We investigated this discrepancy in chronic stroke patients who completed a robot-assisted rehabilitation therapy program. Methods: Eight chronic stroke patients with an intact M1 and 13 Healthy Control (HC) volunteers underwent 300 functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans while performing a grip task at different force levels with a robotic device. The patients were trained with the same robotic device over a 10-week intervention period and their progress was evaluated serially with the Fugl-Meyer and Modified Ashworth scales. Repeated measure analyses were used to assess group differences in locations of peak activity in the sensorimotor cortex (SM) and the relationship of such changes with scores on the Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity (FM UE) scale. Results: Patients moving their stroke-affected hand had proportionally more peak activations in the primary motor area and fewer peak activations in the somatosensory cortex than the healthy controls (P=0.009). They also showed an anterior shift of peak activity on average of 5.3-mm (P Conclusion: A stroke rehabilitation grip task with a robotic device was confirmed to be feasible during fMRI scanning and thus amenable to be used to assess plastic changes in neurological motor activity. Location of peak activity in the SM is a promising clinical neuroimaging index for the evaluation and monitoring of chronic stroke patients.

BACKGROUND Testicular magnetic resonance imaging parameters, including apparent diffusion coefficient, fractional anisotropy, magnetization transfer ratio, and normalized metabolite concentrations represent useful noninvasive fingerprints of nonobstructive azoospermia. Nonobstructive azoospermia etiology might correlate with the spermatogenesis status. OBJECTIVES To assess the possible association between apparent diffusion coefficient, fractional anisotropy, magnetization transfer ratio, and normalised metabolite concentrations with nonobstructive azoospermia etiology. MATERIALS AND METHODS This retrospective study included 48 consecutive men with nonobstructive azoospermia and 18 age-matched controls. All participants underwent scrotal magnetic resonance imaging. The testicular apparent diffusion coefficient, fractional anisotropy, magnetization transfer ratio, and normalized metabolite concentrations were calculated. nonobstructive azoospermia men were classified into three groups, based on etiology: group 1, idiopathic; group 2, genetic causes; and group 3, non-genetic causes. Parametric and nonparametric statistical tests were used to evaluate differences in magnetic resonance imaging parameters between nonobstructive azoospermia groups and normal testes (group 4). Regression analysis was performed to assess the most predictive magnetic resonance imaging factor of nonobstructive azoospermia etiology. RESULTS Differences in mean apparent diffusion coefficient (p

Background and Objectives: Vitamin D (Vit D) deficiency has been implicated in various conditions, including cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate the incidence of patients with myocardial ischemia in relation to their serum levels of vitamin D. Materials and Methods: A 64-month search (January 2016 to April 2021) in our database of the Nuclear Medicine Laboratory revealed 113 patients who had both myocardial perfusion imaging with single photon emission computed tomography (MPI SPECT) and Vit D measurements. MPI SPECT obtained myocardial images during both stress (summed stress score, SSS) and rest (summed rest score, SRS). Abnormal MPI SPECT was when the SSS was ≥4. Vit D was determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Patients with Vit D values &lt, 10 ng/mL, 10–29 ng/mL and ≥30 ng/mL were defined as having a deficiency, insufficiency and sufficiency, respectively. Results: Among patients, 46/113 (40.7%) were male and 67/113 (59.3%) were female. Abnormal MPI was found in 58/113 (51.3%) patients. Vit D deficiency was noted in 20/113 (17.7%) patients, insufficiency in 86/113 (76.1%) patients, and normal Vit D was noted in only 7/113 (6.2%) patients. Sixteen of the 20 patients (80%) with Vit D deficiency, and 38/86 (44.2%) with insufficiency had an abnormal MPI SPECT. In contrast, only 1/7 (14.3%) patients with sufficient Vit D levels had an abnormal MPI SPECT. The Mann-Whitney U-test showed that ischemia reduced the values of Vit D. Correlation analysis showed a negative association of Vit D levels with SSS (rho = −0.232, p = 0.014) and SRS (rho = −0.250, p = 0.008). Further evaluation with a Vit D cut off 20 ng/mL retrieved no statistical significance. Finally, Vit D and gender were independently associated with myocardial ischemia. Conclusions: Low Vit D levels may represent a risk factor for myocardial ischemia.

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder and the most common type of dementia with a great prevalence in western countries. The diagnosis of AD and its progression is performed through a variety of clinical procedures including neuropsychological and physical examination, Electroencephalographic (EEG) recording, brain imaging and blood analysis. During the last decades, analysis of the electrophysiological dynamics in AD patients has gained great research interest, as an alternative and cost-effective approach. This paper summarizes recent publications focusing on (a) AD detection and (b) the correlation of quantitative EEG features with AD progression, as it is estimated by Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) score. A total of 49 experimental studies published from 2009 until 2020, which apply machine learning algorithms on resting state EEG recordings from AD patients, are reviewed. Results of each experimental study are presented and compared. The majority of the studies focus on AD detection incorporating Support Vector Machines, while deep learning techniques have not yet been applied on large EEG datasets. Promising conclusions for future studies are presented.

New rehabilitation strategies enabled by technological developments are challenging the prevailing concept of there being a limited window for functional recovery after stroke. In this study, we examined the utility of a robot-assisted therapy used in combination with a serious game as a rehabilitation and motor assessment tool in patients with chronic stroke. We evaluated 928 game rounds from 386 training sessions of 8 patients who had suffered an ischemic stroke affecting middle cerebral artery territory that incurred at least 6 months prior. Motor function was assessed with clinical motor scales, including the Fugl-Meyer upper extremity (FM UE) scale, Action Research Arm Test, Modified Ashworth scale and the Box and Blocks test. Robotic device output measures (mean force, force-position correlation) and serious game score elements (collisions, rewards and total score) were calculated. A total of 2 patients exhibited a marginal improvement after a 10-week training protocol according to the FM UE scale and an additional patient exhibited a significant improvement according to Box and Blocks test. Motor scales showed strong associations of robotic device parameters and game metrics with clinical motor scale scores, with the strongest correlations observed for the mean force (0.677

Computed tomography (CT) for minor head injury exposes a large number of children to ionizing radiation, with an associated increased lifetime risk of malignancy. To study imaging practices for children with minor head injury and the level of awareness of radiologists of the current clinical decision rules for minor traumatic brain injury (TBI). A questionnaire consisting of 17 questions was distributed electronically to 472 ESPR members. The questionnaire covered demographic information, employment status, years of experience and the current practice setting of the participants, the number of CTs performed for pediatric head trauma, awareness of clinical decision rules and use of shielding, pediatric CT protocol and MRI. The response rate was 18.4%. The majority of participants was aged over 50 years and was full-time consultants. Regarding decision rules, 73.8% of respondents cited the NICE head injury guidelines, and 79% reported that the decision to perform CT was agreed between specialists. Shielding was used by 58.3% and 67.4% applied a specific pediatric protocol. MRI was not used for pediatric head trauma by 70.6% of respondents, although always available in 68.6% of cases. The reported obstacles to MRI use were machine availability (42.7%), the long acquisition time (39%) and patients’ intolerance (18.3%), and less frequently the cost and the need for sedation. There is room for decreasing the use of CT for pediatric minor TBI. The use of shielding and application of pediatric CT protocols constitute areas for improvement.

Drug inefficiency in patients with refractory seizures renders epilepsy a life-threatening and challenging brain disorder and stresses the need for accurate seizure detection and prediction methods and more personalized closed-loop treatment systems. In this paper, a multicenter methodology for automated seizure detection based on Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) is presented. A decomposition of 5 levels is applied in each EEG segment and five features are extracted from the wavelet coefficients. The extracted feature vector is used to train a Random Forest classifier and discriminate between ictal and interictal data. EEG recordings from the database of University of Bonn and the database of the University Hospital of Freiburg were employed, in an attempt to test the efficiency and robustness of the method. Classification results in both databases are significant, reaching accuracy above 95% and confirming the robustness of the methodology. Sensitivity and False Positive Rate for the Freiburg database reached 99.74% and 0.21/h respectively.

To assess brain activation during mental visualization of eating chocolate. Twenty-one subjects were included. FMRI was acquired with a single-shot, multislice, gradient echo-planar sequence, while subjects were performing two specific imaginary tasks. Activation of motor-associated brain areas was observed during both mental visualization tasks. Increased activation of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the thalamus, the postcentral gyrus and the left anterior cingulate cortex, and the precuneus was observed during imagining eating chocolate. Repeated imagination of chocolate consumption results in activation of brain areas associated with hedonic effects of food and satiety and inhibition of orexigenic areas.

BACKGROUND The development of noninvasive imaging parameters having the capacity to identify the population of men with nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA) where a successful sperm retrieval outcome is of great clinical significance. PURPOSE/HYPOTHESIS To assess differences of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) in NOA testes with impaired spermatogenesis and the possible association with the presence of spermatozoa after testicular sperm extraction (TESE). STUDY TYPE Retrospective. POPULATION Twenty NOA men (35 testes) and 21 age-matched controls (36 testes). FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE 1.5T, T1 WI-SE T2 WI-FSE FS SS-EP-DTI. ASSESSMENTS The MRI data were analyzed by two radiologists in consensus. The average ADC and FA of testicular parenchyma was measured. NOA testes were classified as NOA with higher Johnsen score (JS) ≥8 (group 1) and JS

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the pattern of white matter (WM) changes associated with Parkinson's disease (PD)-related cognitive impairment by using fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity (RD) measures. Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) was performed in 21 PD-patients with dementia (PDD) and in an age-matched control group including 40 PD-patients without dementia (PD-CTRL). The Parkinson's disease-Cognitive Rating Scale (PD-CRS) was used for patients' neuropsychological assessment. Local microstructural WM differences associated with the presence of cognitive impairment were tested using tract-based spatial statistics analysis. Multiple regression models investigated the association of DTI indices with total PD-CRS score, PD-CRS raw items and other clinical measures across the whole study sample. Significant FA decreases were found in PDD compared to PD-CTRL patients mainly in the body of corpus callosum, corona radiata and cingulum. Lower PD-CRS score was significantly associated with decreased FA, MD and AD values in multiple WM tracts primarily located in prefrontal and limbic areas as well as across the corpus callosum. Lower performance in specific PD-CRS raw items was also associated with FA decreases in major WM tracts. The results suggest that multifocal microstructural changes of WM accompany the transition from normal to demented cognitive state in PD-patients. The corpus callosum, the corona radiata and the cingulum are among the regions mostly affected during this course. A progressive axonal degeneration is proposed as a key underlying mechanism.

Purpose To assess macro- and microstructural brain changes in patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PXS). Materials and methods Comprehensive ophthalmic examination and brain MRI were conducted on 20 patients with PXS without glaucoma (aged 62.75 ± 0.4 years) and 20 controls (aged 62 ± 0.6 years). White matter (WM) integrity was evaluated on FLAIR and single-shot multisection SE-EPI diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) sequences. The presence and the number of white matter hyperintensities (WMHIs) on FLAIR images was compared between all patients and control subjects. Microstructural WM changes on DTI was evaluated using Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). DTI metrics of the optic tracts were assessed by the region-of-interest (ROI) method. Results A significantly higher number of WMHIs was found in the patients with PXS than in the control subjects (P ≤ 0.002). On DTI the patients showed bilateral increase in the mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity (RD) values in the anterior thalamic radiation, the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, the superior longitudinal fasciculus, the inferior longitudinal fasciculus and the forceps minor. TBSS revealed no significant difference in fractional anisotropy (FA) values, but ROIs analysis of the optic tracts revealed decreased FA values in the patients. Conclusion MRI in patients with PXS detects abnormalities in the brain and the optic tracts at a subclinical stage. Early detection of microstructural changes could be useful to guide appropriate treatment to impede the disease process.

Objectives To evaluate risk factors for the development of cervical spine spondylosis (CSS) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and to propose a pathogenetic mechanism. Methods Forty-two consecutive patients aged 23–66 years with MS and 42 age and sex matched controls were evaluated retrospectively; Clinical disability was evaluated with the expanded disability status scale (EDSS) and spasticity with the Asworth score. Total brain lesion volume (BLV), total grey matter (GM) volume and deep GM volume were assessed. In the cervical spine CSS indices (disk dehydration, disk protrusion, abnormal posture and osteophytosis) and the spinal cord lesion load (SLL) was evaluated. The association of CSS indices with the presence of MS, the clinical scales and the brain and spinal cord imaging measurements were assessed. Results Presence of MS was positively associated with abnormal posture (P = 0.002), disk dehydration at C6–C7 (P = 0.049) and posterior disk protrusion at C5–C6 (P = 0.033) and C6–C7 (P = 0.001). All patients had spasticity. Patients with abnormal posture were younger (37.5 ± 11.1 years) than those with normal (45.4 ± 8.6 years), P = 0.024. Age (P = 0.008), EDSS (P = 0.045) and BLV (P = 0.084) were significant independent predictors of abnormal posture. Younger age combined with worse EDSS and increased BLV predicted abnormal posture. Conclusions Patients with MS present more frequently spondylosis which is associated with younger age, more severe disability and extensive lesions in the brain. Spasticity induced by the brain lesions and abnormal expression of extracellular matrix proteins in the brain and the intervertebral disk constitute a possible pathogenetic mechanism.

To evaluate the difference in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements at diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance imaging of differently shaped regions-of-interest (ROIs) in testicular germ cell neoplasms (TGCNS), the diagnostic ability of differently shaped ROIs in differentiating seminomas from nonseminomatous germ cell neoplasms (NSGCNs) and the interobserver variability.Thirty-three TGCNs were retrospectively evaluated. Patients underwent MR examinations, including DWI on a 1.5-T MR system. Two observers measured mean tumor ADCs using four distinct ROI methods: round, square, freehand and multiple small, round ROIs. The interclass correlation coefficient was analyzed to assess interobserver variability. Statistical analysis was used to compare mean ADC measurements among observers, methods and histologic types.All ROI methods showed excellent interobserver agreement, with excellent correlation (P0.001). Multiple, small ROIs provided the lower mean ADC in TGCNs. Seminomas had lower mean ADC compared to NSGCNs for each ROI method (P0.001). Round ROI proved the most accurate method in characterizing TGCNS.Interobserver variability in ADC measurement is excellent, irrespective of the ROI shape. Multiple, small round ROIs and round ROI proved the more accurate methods for ADC measurement in the characterization of TGCNs and in the differentiation between seminomas and NSGCNs, respectively.

To evaluate the biochemical milieu in testes with nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA) by using proton MR spectroscopy (1H-MRS) in detecting differences in testicular metabolites between histological stages of NOA and in assessing the possible presence of spermatozoa before microdissection testicular sperm extraction (mTESE). Forty-nine NOA men and fifty age-matched controls were included in this prospective study. A single-voxel point-resolved spectroscopy sequence with TR/TE (2000/25 ms) was used. NOA testes were classified using the higher Johnsen score (hJS) (group 1, hJS ≥ 8; and group 2, hJS

OBJECTIVE. The aim of our study was to assess if testicular apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) can be used as MRI parameters to predict the presence of spermatozoa retrieved after microdissection testicular sperm extraction (mTESE) in men with nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA). MATERIALS AND METHODS. The study included 49 men with NOA and 45 age-matched control subjects. Participants underwent scrotal MRI between June 2013 and January 2017, 1 day before mTESE. Testicular volume (TV), ADC, and MTR were measured. NOA testes were classified as follows: group 1, testes with higher Johnsen score of ≥ 8; and group 2, testes with higher Johnsen score of < 8. Nonparametric statistical tests were used to assess differences in TV, ADC, and MTR between men with NOA and control subjects, the two NOA groups, and NOA testes with positive sperm retrieval and NOA testes with negative sperm retrieval. RESULTS. TV (p < 0.001) was reduced and both ADC (p < 0.001) and MTR (p = 0.013) were increased in NOA testes compared with normal testes. A positive correlation between higher Johnsen score and TV (p < 0.001) and a negative correlation between higher Johnsen score and both ADC (p = 0.015) and MTR (p = 0.003) were found. TV (p < 0.001) was reduced in NOA testes with failed sperm retrieval compared with NOA testes with positive sperm retrieval. On the contrary, ADC (p = 0.011) and MTR (p = 0.045) were significantly increased in NOA testes with negative sperm retrieval. CONCLUSION. On the basis of our preliminary data, TV, ADC, and MTR might represent useful MRI parameters in the workup of patients with NOA by helping to predict the presence of spermatozoa after mTESE.

Alzheimer&rsquo, s Disease (AD) is a neurogenerative disorder and the most common type of dementia with a rapidly increasing world prevalence. In this paper, the ability of several statistical and spectral features to detect AD from electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings is evaluated. For this purpose, clinical EEG recordings from 14 patients with AD (8 with mild AD and 6 with moderate AD) and 10 healthy, age-matched individuals are analyzed. The EEG signals are initially segmented in nonoverlapping epochs of different lengths ranging from 5 s to 12 s. Then, a group of statistical and spectral features calculated for each EEG rhythm (&delta, &theta, &alpha, &beta, and &gamma, ) are extracted, forming the feature vector that trained and tested a Random Forests classifier. Six classification problems are addressed, including the discrimination from whole-brain dynamics and separately from specific brain regions in order to highlight any alterations of the cortical regions. The results indicated a high accuracy ranging from 88.79% to 96.78% for whole-brain classification. Also, the classification accuracy was higher at the posterior and central regions than at the frontal area and the right side of temporal lobe for all classification problems.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) provides independent biochemical information and has become an invaluable adjunct to MRI and other imaging modalities. This review introduces key concepts and presents basic methodological steps regarding the acquisition and the interpretation of proton MRS. We review major brain metabolites and discuss MRS dependence on age, location, echo time and field strength.

Structural and functional changes of the brain have been reported in premature babies. To evaluate the relationship of functional and structural connectivity with gestational age, body growth and brain maturation in very preterm babies. We studied 18 very preterm babies (gestational age: mean ± standard deviation, 29.7±1.7 weeks). We examined functional connectivity by multivariate pattern analysis of resting-state functional MRI data. We assessed structural connectivity by analysis of diffusion tensor imaging data and probabilistic tractography. The average functional connectivity of the medial orbitofrontal cortex with the rest of the brain was positively associated with gestational age (P

The complexity of epilepsy created a fertile ground for further research in automated methods, attempting to help the epileptologists’ task. Over the past years, great breakthroughs have emerged in computer-aided analysis. Furthermore, the advent of Brain Computer Interface (BCI) systems has facilitated significantly the automated seizure analysis. In this study, an evaluation of the window size in automated seizure detection is proposed. The EEG signals from the University of Bonn was employed and segmented into 24 epochs of different window lengths with 50% overlap each time. Statistical and spectral features were extracted in the OpenViBE scenario and were used to train four different classifiers. Results in terms of accuracy were above 80% for the Decision Tree classifier. Also, results indicated that different window sizes provide small variations in classification accuracy.

A noninvasive imaging technique providing information about testicular dysfunction in testes with varicocele would be useful. The aim is to measure the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) in testes of infertile men with varicocele and to assess interobserver agreement. Sixteen infertile men with varicocele and 14 age-matched controls underwent 1.5 T diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) MRI. Testicular ADC and FA were measured by two radiologists independently. Parametric and nonparametric statistical tests were applied to compare between the ADC and FA of testes with varicocele and normal testes. Interobserver agreement was evaluated. The interobserver variability for ADC (0.915) and FA (0.948) was very good. No differences in ADC (p = 0.294) were found between the two groups. FA was significantly lower in testes with varicocele compared to age-matched controls (p

The aim was to determine the proton MR (1H-MR) spectra of normal adult testes and variations with age. Forty-one MR spectra of normal testes, including 16 testes from men aged 20–39 years (group I) and 25 testes from men aged 40–69 years (group II), were analyzed. A single-voxel point-resolved spectroscopy sequence (PRESS), with TR/TE: 2000/25 ms was used. The volume of interest was placed to include the majority of normal testicular parenchyma. Association between normalized metabolite concentrations, defined as ratios of the calculated metabolite concentrations relative to creatine concentration, and age was assessed. Quantified metabolites of the spectra were choline (Cho), creatine (Cr), myo-inositol (mI), scyllo-inositol, taurine, lactate, GLx compound, glucose, lipids, and macromolecules resonating at 0.9 ppm (LM09), around 20 ppm (LM20), and at 13 ppm (LM13). Most prominent peaks were Cho, Cr, mI, and lipids. A weak negative correlation between mI and age (P = 0.015) was observed. Higher normalized concentrations of Cho (P = 0.03), mI (P = 0.08), and LM13 (P = 0.05) were found in group I than in group II. 1H-MR spectra of a normal adult testis showed several metabolite peaks. A decrease of levels of Cho, mI, and LM13 was observed with advancing age. • Single-voxel PRESS MRS of a normal testis is feasible. • 1H-MR spectra of a normal testis showed several metabolite peaks. • Most prominent peaks were Cho, Cr, mI, and lipids. • A decrease of Cho, mI, and LM13 was seen with advancing age.

The multimodal imaging investigation of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in Parkinson's disease (PD). The role of dopaminergic treatment and other clinical parameters was also evaluated.Seventeen non-demented PD patients with EDS (PD-EDS) and 17 PD patients without EDS were enrolled. Clinical, treatment and MRI data were acquired. Gray matter (GM) volume was examined with voxel-based morphometry, while white matter (WM) integrity was assessed with diffusion tensor imaging by means of fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity measures.Increased regional GM volume was found in the PD-EDS group bilaterally in the hippocampus and parahippocampal gyri. Increased AD values were also shown in the PD-EDS group, in the left anterior thalamic radiation and the corticospinal tract and bilaterally in the superior corona radiata and the superior longitudinal fasciculus. Levodopa equivalent dose differed significantly between the groups and was the only predictor of EDS, while the only predictor of the Epworth sleepiness scale score in the PD-EDS group was the dopamine-agonist dose. Increased frequency of gamblers was also observed in the PD-EDS group.Regional GM increases and increased AD values in certain WM tracts were found in the PD-EDS group. The changes could result from disinhibited signaling pathways or represent compensatory changes in response to anatomical or functional deficits elsewhere. The study findings support also the contribution of the total dopaminergic load in the development of EDS, while the dose of dopamine agonists was found to predict the severity of the disorder.

Epilepsy is a complex neurological disorder recognized by abnormal synchronization of cerebral neurons, named seizures. During the last decades, significant progress has been done in automated detection and prediction of seizures, aiming to develop personalized closed-loop intervention systems. In this paper, a methodology for automated seizure detection based on Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) is presented. Twenty-one intracranial ictal recordings acquired from the database of University Hospital of Freiburg are firstly segmented in 2 s epochs. Then, a five-level decomposition is applied in each segment and five features are extracted from the wavelet coefficients. The extracted feature vector is used to train a Support Vector Machines (SVM) classifier. Average sensitivity and specificity reached above 93% and 99% respectively.

To evaluate the feasibility of testis diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), to determine normative apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) values and to assess the efficacy of DTI in characterizing testicular pathology.Fifty-six men underwent MRI of the scrotum, including DTI. Parametric and non-parametric statistical tests were used to compare the ADC and FA between the cranial, middle and lower thirds of normal testis and between the bilateral testicular thirds. Comparison between the ADC and FA of normal testis, malignant and benign testicular lesions was performed.No significant differences of the ADC and FA in normal testis between the cranial, middle and lower thirds and between the bilateral testicular thirds were found. ADC was significantly lower in malignancies compared to normal testis (P=0.006) and benign testicular lesions (P=0.006). FA was significantly higher both in malignancies (P=0.001) and benign lesions (P0.001) compared to normal testis. FA in malignancies did not differ from FA in benign lesions (P=0.221) CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the feasibility of testis DTI. Both ADC and FA significantly differ between testicular lesions and normal testis, although FA did not show an incremental diagnostic value compared to ADC in lesion differentiation.

The recent advances of Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) systems, can provide effective assistance for real time prognosis systems for patients who suffered from epileptic seizures. This paper presents an EEG classification strategy for short-term epilepsy prognosis, using software for Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) systems. A training scenario is presented, where significant features are extracted and a classification algorithm is trained. The training procedure extracts knowledge in terms of a classification model, which is employed in a real-time testing. For the training of the classification scenario a five-classes dataset of EEG signals is employed in which two-classes have been recorded extracranially and the rest three intracranially including one class with epileptic seizure activity and two classes with seizure-free signals. Promising quantitative results are reported.

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent, sudden discharges of cerebral neurons, called seizures. Seizures are not always clearly defined and have extremely varied morphologies. Neurophysiologists are not always able to discriminate seizures, especially in long-term EEG datasets. Affecting 1% of the worlds population with 1/3 of the epileptic patients not corresponding to anti-epileptic medication, epilepsy is constantly under the microscope and systems for automated detection of seizures are thoroughly examined. In this paper, a method for automated detection of epileptic activity is presented. The Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) is used to decompose the EEG recordings in several subbands and five features are extracted from the wavelet coefficients creating a set of features. The extracted feature vector is used to train a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier. Five classification problems are addressed, reaching high levels of overall accuracy ranging from 87% to 100%.

To investigate structural brain changes in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on 18 IBD patients (aged 45.16 ± 14.71 years) and 20 aged-matched control subjects. The imaging protocol consisted of a sagittal-FLAIR, a T1-weighted high-resolution three-dimensional spoiled gradient-echo sequence, and a multisession spin-echo echo-planar diffusion-weighted sequence. Differences between patients and controls in brain volume and diffusion indices were evaluated using the voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) methods, respectively. The presence of white-matter hyperintensities (WMHIs) was evaluated on FLAIR images. VBM revealed decreased grey matter (GM) volume in patients in the fusiform and the inferior temporal gyrus bilaterally, the right precentral gyrus, the right supplementary motor area, the right middle frontal gyrus and the left superior parietal gyrus (p

The usefulness of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) in the evaluation of scrotal pathology has recently been reported. A standard reference of normal testicular apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values and their variations with age is necessary when interpreting normal testicular anatomy and pathology. We evaluated 147 normal testes using DWI, including 71 testes from 53 men aged 20-39 years (group 1), 67 testes from 42 men aged 40-69 years (group 2) and nine testes from six men older than 70 years (group 3). DWI was performed along the axial plane, using a single shot, multislice spin-echo planar diffusion pulse sequence and b-values of 0 and 900 s mm−2 . The mean and standard deviation of the ADC values of normal testicular parenchyma were calculated for each age group separately. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by post hoc analysis (Dunnett T3) was used for statistical purposes. The ADC values (× 10−3 mm 2 s−1 ) of normal testicular tissue were different among age groups (group 1: 1.08 ± 0.13; group 2: 1.15 ± 0.15 and group 3: 1.31 ± 0.22). ANOVA revealed differences in mean ADC among age groups (F = 11.391, P < 0.001). Post hoc analysis showed differences between groups 1 and 2 (P = 0.008) and between groups 1 and 3 (P = 0.043), but not between groups 2 and 3 (P = 0.197). Our findings suggest that ADC values of normal testicular tissue increase with advancing age.

Functional MRI (fMRI) is a valuable brain imaging technique. A significant problem, when analyzing fMRI time series, is the finding of functional brain networks when the brain is at rest, i.e. no external stimulus is applied to the subject. In this work, we present a probabilistic method to estimate the Resting State Networks (RSNs) using a model-based approach. More specifically, RSNs are assumed to be the result of a clustering procedure. In order to perform the clustering, a mixture of regression models are used. Furthermore, special care has been given in order to incorporate important functionalities, such as spatial and embedded sparsity enforcing properties, through the use of informative priors over the model parameters. Another interesting feature of the proposed scheme is the flexibility to handle all the brain time series at once, allowing more robust solutions. We provide comparative experimental results, using an artificial fMRI dataset and two real resting state fMRI datasets, that empirically illustrate the efficiency of the proposed regression mixture model.