Article
Medicine, Legal
Melanie Bauer, Celine Berger, Kathrin Gerlach, Eva Scheurer, Claudia Lenz
Summary: This study examined the suitability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as an objective, noninvasive, and quantitative method for differentiating edematous and nonedematous brains. The results showed that quantitative MRI, specifically the calculation of T2 and FA parameters, can effectively differentiate edematous brains from nonedematous brains. In addition to providing morphological information, post mortem in situ MRI scans can provide relevant and objective information on the edema status of the brain prior to autopsy or when no autopsy is ordered.
FORENSIC SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Sebastian W. Rieger, Aaron Hess, Yang Ji, Christopher T. Rodgers, Peter Jezzard, Karla L. Miller, Wenchuan Wu
Summary: A temperature-controlled cooling system was developed to facilitate accurate quantitative post-mortem MRI and enable scanning of unfixed tissue. The system was optimized for operational convenience and rapid deployment to ensure efficient workflow. The results showed that the developed cooling system stabilized tissue temperature and enabled accurate estimation of biophysical model parameters, while the conventional setup showed biased estimation.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Istvan N. Huszar, Menuka Pallebage-Gamarallage, Sarah Bangerter-Christensen, Hannah Brooks, Sean Fitzgibbon, Sean Foxley, Marlies Hiemstra, Amy F. D. Howard, Saad Jbabdi, Daniel Z. L. Kor, Anna Leonte, Jeroen Mollink, Adele Smart, Benjamin C. Tendler, Martin R. Turner, Olaf Ansorge, Karla L. Miller, Mark Jenkinson
Summary: This study presents a customizable pipeline for registering stand-alone histology sections to whole-brain MRI data. The pipeline consists of four stages and successfully registered 87 histology sections to MRI. The results demonstrate sub-voxel level precision and good robustness of the pipeline.
Article
Medicine, Legal
Celine Berger, Christoph Birkl, Melanie Bauer, Eva Scheurer, Claudia Lenz
Summary: This study aims to determine the temperature effect on post mortem TInull in FLAIR sequence and provide a temperature correction method for achieving robust suppression of the CSF signal. Based on in situ MRI brain examination of nine deceased subjects, a significant positive linear relation was found between TInull and both brain and rectal temperatures, enabling the correction of TInull for varying temperatures of the deceased.
FORENSIC SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Biology
Celine Berger, Melanie Bauer, Holger Wittig, Kathrin Gerlach, Eva Scheurer, Claudia Lenz
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between forehead temperature and brain temperature in post mortem MR imaging. It compares the fit results between forehead temperature and brain temperature with those of rectal temperature. The study suggests using forehead temperature for modeling brain temperature in the longitudinal fissure.
JOURNAL OF THERMAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Azadeh Nazemorroaya, Ali Aghaeifar, Thomas Shiozawa, Bernhard Hirt, Hildegard Schulz, Klaus Scheffler, Gisela E. Hagberg
Summary: The study aimed to develop fixative agents suitable for high-field MRI and measure MR properties in immersion-fixed brain tissue. The results showed that using fixatives with polyvinylpyrrolidone and low salt concentration can achieve in vivo-like B-1 fields and higher R2* values, while replacing the embedding medium with phosphate-buffered saline leads to different effects.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Johannes Attems, Jon B. Toledo, Lauren Walker, Ellen Gelpi, Steve Gentleman, Glenda Halliday, Tibor Hortobagyi, Kurt Jellinger, Gabor G. Kovacs, Edward B. Lee, Seth Love, Kirsty E. McAleese, Peter T. Nelson, Manuela Neumann, Laura Parkkinen, Tuomo Polvikoski, Beata Sikorska, Colin Smith, Lea Tenenholz Grinberg, Dietmar R. Thal, John Q. Trojanowski, Ian G. McKeith
Summary: Several staging systems exist for the neuropathological diagnosis of LBD, with varying levels of inter-rater reliability. The LPC system, based on a dichotomous approach for scoring LP, showed good reproducibility and allowed for the classification of all cases into distinct categories. It may serve as a reliable and useful standard future approach for the post-mortem evaluation of LP.
ACTA NEUROPATHOLOGICA
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Maryam Seif, Tobias Leutritz, Simon Schading, Tim Emmengger, Armin Curt, Nikolaus Weiskopf, Patrick Freund
Summary: This study optimized and applied a multi-parameter mapping (MPM) protocol for MRI-based multicenter studies targeting neurological pathologies affecting the spinal cord and brain. The results showed that the cervical MPM data exhibited high repeatability and reproducibility, making it a useful tool for standardized assessments in multi-center studies, including clinical trials.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Lukas Haider, Simon Hametner, Verena Endmayr, Stephanie Mangesius, Andrea Eppensteiner, Josa M. Frischer, Juan Eugenio Iglesias, Frederik Barkhof, Gregor Kasprian
Summary: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the reproducibility of Virchow-Robin spaces (VRS) detected on in vivo MRI by post-mortem MRI. The results showed that the reproducibility of VRS was higher in the supratentorial white matter and lower in the basal ganglia. This study demonstrated that the majority of VRS are stable throughout death and formalin fixation, highlighting the translational potential of post-mortem VRS studies.
JOURNAL OF CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW AND METABOLISM
(2022)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Neerja Gupta, Amit Gupta, Atin Kumar, Madhulika Kabra, Raju Sharma, Arun Kumar Gupta, Manisha Jana
Summary: Post-mortem MRI (PMMRI) can accurately detect most major organ malformations in cases of stillbirth, but variable normal post-mortem changes can mimic pathology, making interpretation difficult. Close interaction with geneticists is necessary for final differentiation and detection of abnormalities, along with thorough evaluation of clinical examination and intranatal imaging records.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF RADIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Yanaika S. Hok-A-Hin, Anke A. Dijkstra, Alberto Rabano, Jeroen J. Hoozemans, Lucia Castillo, Harro Seelaar, John C. van Swieten, Yolande A. L. Pijnenburg, Charlotte E. Teunissen, Marta Del Campo
Summary: This study found increased levels of APOL1 in FTLD post-mortem brain tissue, regardless of the pathological subtypes. APOL1 was mainly expressed in neuronal and glial cells, but did not co-localize with pTau or pTDP-43. However, the levels of APOL1 in CSF were comparable between FTD patients and controls, and between pathological subtypes.
NEUROBIOLOGY OF DISEASE
(2022)
Article
Medicine, Legal
Isabel Arnold, Nicole Schwendener, Paolo Lombardo, Christian Jackowski, Wolf-Dieter Zech
Summary: The study evaluated the quantitative values of post-mortem brain structures for a 3 Tesla PMMR application with regard to various corpse temperatures, finding temperature dependence mainly on T1 values. ANOVA testing showed significant differences of quantitative values between different anatomical brain structures in both groups.
FORENSIC SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Robert Jones, Chiara Maffei, Jean Augustinack, Bruce Fischl, Hui Wang, Berkin Bilgic, Anastasia Yendiki
Summary: The study evaluates the application of compressed sensing techniques in diffusion spectrum imaging, finding that CS-DSI can be used to accurately reconstruct the EAP with high fidelity and approximate fully sampled DSI data in a shorter acquisition time. However, the study notes that the signal-to-noise ratio affects the accuracy of CS-DSI, and increasing the CS acceleration factor beyond a certain point may impact the accuracy of the reconstruction methods.
Article
Biology
Benjamin C. Tendler, Taylor Hanayik, Olaf Ansorge, Sarah Bangerter-Christensen, Gregory S. Berns, Mads F. Bertelsen, Katherine L. Bryant, Sean Foxley, Martijn P. van den Heuvel, Amy F. D. Howard, Istvan N. Huszar, Alexandre A. Khrapitchev, Anna Leonte, Paul R. Manger, Ricarda A. L. Menke, Jeroen Mollink, Duncan Mortimer, Menuka Pallebage-Gamarallage, Lea Roumazeilles, Jerome Sallet, Lianne H. Scholtens, Connor Scott, Adele Smart, Martin R. Turner, Chaoyue Wang, Saad Jbabdi, Rogier B. Mars, Karla L. Miller
Summary: The Digital Brain Bank is a data release platform that provides open access to curated, multimodal post-mortem neuroimaging datasets. It includes datasets for detailed neuroanatomical investigations, comparative neuroanatomy, and neuropathology investigations. The platform's first data release includes high-resolution whole-brain diffusion MRI datasets for structural connectivity investigations, making it one of the largest studies in neurodegeneration.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Jian Li, Yan-juan Wu, Ming-feng Liu, Na Li, Li-hong Dang, Guo-shuai An, Xiao-jun Lu, Liang-liang Wang, Qiu-xiang Du, Jie Cao, Jun-hong Sun
Summary: The study proposes an innovative method that combines multi-omics and artificial intelligence to infer the post-mortem interval. By integrating multiple molecular markers and various information, it improves the accuracy of PMI prediction.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marvin Korff, Ruben Steigerwald, Elena Bechthold, Dirk Schepmann, Julian A. Schreiber, Sven G. Meuth, Guiscard Seebohm, Bernhard Wuensch
Summary: GluN2B-NMDA receptors play a key role in neurological and neurodegenerative disorders. A new GluN2B-NMDA receptor modulator was developed with promising affinity and pharmacological activity, which could be suitable for human application.
BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Theresia Sarabhai, Lucia Mastrototaro, Sabine Kahl, Gidon J. Boenhof, Marc Jonuscheit, Pavel Bobrov, Hisayuki Katsuyama, Rainer Guthoff, Martin Wolkersdorfer, Christian Herder, Sven G. Meuth, Sven Dreyer, Michael Roden
Summary: This study aimed to examine the effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on whole-body glucose metabolism in individuals with type 2 diabetes. The results showed that hyperbaric oxygen therapy decreased fasting blood glucose, improved whole-body insulin sensitivity, and achieved this improvement through decreasing endoplasmic reticulum stress and increasing mitochondrial function.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
A. G. Bejinariu, M. Schilling, P. Mueller, L. Clasen, S. Gerguri, S. Angendohr, S. Katsianos, J. Schmidt, C. Brinkmeyer, S. G. Meuth, M. Kelm, H. Makimoto
Summary: The total atrial conduction time (TACT) measured by echocardiography can predict the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) and stroke; adding TACT to the revised Framingham stroke risk profile (rFSRP) significantly improves the prediction of stroke incidence.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Alessandro Pasquale De Rosa, Fabrizio Esposito, Paola Valsasina, Alessandro D'Ambrosio, Alvino Bisecco, Maria A. Rocca, Silvia Tommasin, Chiara Marzi, Nicola De Stefano, Marco Battaglini, Patrizia Pantano, Mario Cirillo, Gioacchino Tedeschi, Massimo Filippi, Antonio Gallo
Summary: The Italian Neuroimaging Network Initiative (INNI) is an expanding database of brain MRI data from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, with a focus on the quality of the data and functional connectivity (FC) features after preprocessing. The study found that FC features showed inter-site and site-specific inter-group effects, and significant reductions were observed in somatomotor and limbic networks in MS patients. The implemented procedures provide technical information and reference for future RS-fMRI studies within INNI.
JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Clinical Neurology
Carlo Manco, Nicola De Stefano, Roberto Marconi
NEUROLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Muriel Schraad, Timo Uphaus, Stefan Runkel, Walter Hitzler, Stefan Bittner, Frauke Zipp
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the response of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination after disease-modifying therapy (DMT). The findings suggest that anti-CD20 treatment, decreased CD8 levels, and non-selective S1P treatment may lead to an insufficient response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Close monitoring of anti-spike antibodies is recommended to customize vaccination regimens for these patients.
Article
Neurosciences
Alexander H. Swan, Roland F. R. Schindler, Marco Savarese, Isabelle Mayer, Susanne Rinne, Felix Bleser, Anne Schaenzer, Andreas Hahn, Mario Sabatelli, Francesco Perna, Kathryn Chapman, Mark Pfuhl, Alan C. Spivey, Niels Decher, Bjarne Udd, Giorgio Tasca, Thomas Brand
Summary: The POPDC genes encode sarcolemma-localized cAMP effector proteins and mutations in BVES are associated with muscular dystrophy and cardiac arrhythmia. Muscle biopsies showed impaired membrane trafficking of POPDC isoforms in patients. The study investigated the interaction of POPDC proteins and found that they interact through a helix-helix interface at the C-terminus. Mutations in POPDC proteins that affect membrane localization disrupt complex formation, while mutations that maintain protein-protein interaction likely affect other essential functions.
ACTA NEUROPATHOLOGICA COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Heinz Wiendl, Klaus Schmierer, Suzanne Hodgkinson, Tobias Derfuss, Andrew Chan, Finn Sellebjerg, Anat Achiron, Xavier Montalban, Alexandre Prat, Nicola De Stefano, Frederik Barkhof, Letizia Leocani, Patrick Vermersch, Anita Chudecka, Claire Mwape, Kristina H. Holmberg, Ursula Boschert, Sanjeev Roy, MAGNIFY-MS Study Grp
Summary: Cladribine tablets cause a reduction in lymphocytes, with a predominant effect on B-cell and T-cell counts. The MAGNIFY-MS substudy reports the dynamic changes on multiple peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) subtypes and immunoglobulin (Ig) levels over 12 months after the first course of cladribine tablets in patients with highly active relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS).
NEUROLOGY-NEUROIMMUNOLOGY & NEUROINFLAMMATION
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Falk Steffen, Timo Uphaus, Nina Ripfel, Vinzenz Fleischer, Muriel Schraad, Gabriel Gonzalez-Escamilla, Sinah Engel, Sergiu Groppa, Frauke Zipp, Stefan Bittner
Summary: Measuring serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) levels can predict disease severity and future evidence of disease activity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). sNfL levels are also associated with the development of neurodegenerative damage.
NEUROLOGY-NEUROIMMUNOLOGY & NEUROINFLAMMATION
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Vinzenz Fleischer, Gabriel Gonzalez-Escamilla, Deborah Pareto, Alex Rovira, Jaume Sastre-Garriga, Piotr Sowa, Einar A. Hogestol, Hanne F. Harbo, Barbara Bellenberg, Carsten Lukas, Serena Ruggieri, Claudio Gasperini, Tomas Uher, Manuela Vaneckova, Stefan Bittner, Ahmed E. Othman, Sara Collorone, Ahmed T. Toosy, Sven G. Meuth, Frauke Zipp, Frederik Barkhof, Olga Ciccarelli, Sergiu Groppa
Summary: This study investigated the prognostic value of longitudinal structural networks in predicting 5-year Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) progression in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients. The study found that changes in network degree and global efficiency can predict disability accumulation independent of disease activity, and these network measures outperform conventional MRI predictors in predicting EDSS worsening.
Editorial Material
Immunology
Stefan Bittner, Frauke Zipp
Summary: IL-17-blocking antibodies have limited clinical effect in certain autoimmune diseases. This study demonstrates that SHP2-Act1 complexes can mediate IL-17R signaling autonomously, even in the absence of the IL-17 ligand itself.
Review
Clinical Neurology
Stefan Bittner, Katrin Pape, Luisa Klotz, Frauke Zipp
Summary: Worsening clinical symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are caused by inflammation specifically occurring within the CNS. This chronic and non-relapsing immune-mediated mechanism of disease progression, called "smouldering inflammation," is sustained by local factors in the CNS and explains why current MS treatments do not adequately target it. This review summarizes the current understanding of the local inflammatory microenvironment in smouldering inflammation, its interaction with immune cell metabolism, and potential treatments for preventing neurodegenerative damage.
NATURE REVIEWS NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Loredana Storelli, Elisabetta Pagani, Patrizia Pantano, Antonio Gallo, Nicola De Stefano, Maria A. Rocca, Massimo Filippi
Summary: The use of FSL-MIST multimodal segmentation method improves the robustness of results and enables better detection of small variations in thalamic volumes.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF NEURORADIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Rozemarijn M. Mattiesing, Eline Kramer, Eva M. M. Strijbis, Iman Brouwer, Ronald A. van Schijndel, Giordano Gentile, Marco Battaglini, Nicola De Stefano, Bernard M. J. Uitdehaag, Frederik Barkhof, Hugo Vrenken, Menno M. Schoonheim
Summary: The degree of inflammation and neurodegeneration after treatment initiation in multiple sclerosis (MS) can predict disease progression. This study found that global atrophy and/or pseudo-atrophy as well as positive lesion activity in MRI results during the first and second years of treatment were related to an increased probability and faster conversion to clinically definite MS. Negative lesion activity in the first year and slower central atrophy in the second year were predictive of disability progression.
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS JOURNAL
(2023)
Letter
Neurosciences
Sara Locci, Valentina Nidiaci, Nicola De Stefano, Valerio Leoni, Andrea Mignarri
Article
Neurosciences
Jose Sanchez-Bornot, Roberto C. Sotero, J. A. Scott Kelso, Ozguer Simsek, Damien Coyle
Summary: This study proposes a multi-penalized state-space model for analyzing unobserved dynamics, using a data-driven regularization method. Novel algorithms are developed to solve the model, and a cross-validation method is introduced to evaluate regularization parameters. The effectiveness of this method is validated through simulations and real data analysis, enabling a more accurate exploration of cognitive brain functions.