Brain and Behavior

IntroductionTransarterial embolization is a well-established adjunct in the management of hypervascular head, neck, and spine tumors. Few case-series have described the role of direct percutaneous embolization (DPE). MethodWe report our experience with DPE (with or without transarterial embolization) in patients with head, neck, and spine tumors treated between 2012-2023. Baseline demographics, angiographic imaging, tumoral pathology, and relevant clinical variables were retrospectively reviewe...

IntroductionThe assessment of vestibular schwannoma (VS) requires a standardized measurement approach as growth is a key element in defining treatment strategy for VS. Volumetric measurements offer higher sensitivity and precision, but existing methods of segmentation, are labour-intensive, lack standardisation and are prone to variability and subjectivity. A new core set of measurement indicators reported consistently, will support clinical decision-making and facilitate evidence synthesis. Thi...

ImportanceCOVID-19 has not impacted people or countries uniformly. This disparity has prompted investigations to identify clinical and genetic predictors of COVID-19 mortality. Headache, a COVID-19 symptom, has been associated with positive disease prognosis. It is logical to consider whether primary headache disorders, among the most prevalent and disabling diseases globally, may also be associated with reduced viral mortality and thereby may have arisen as adaptive host defences ObjectiveTo s...

BackgroundCarotid atherosclerosis is a major contributor in the etiology of ischemic stroke. Although intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) is known to increase stroke risk and plaque burden, its long-term effects on plaque dynamics remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term impact of IPH on carotid plaque burden progression using deep learning-based segmentation on multi-contrast magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging (VWI). MethodsTwenty-eight asymptomatic subjects with carotid atheros...

BackgroundNeurological presentation with isolated/multiple cranial nerve palsy is normal and its different causes incorporate infection, autoimmune, neoplastic, and inflammatory pathologies. The etiological range may rely on geological areas. We attempted this study to investigate the clinical range and etiological profile of numerous cranial nerve palsy. Materials and methodsThis planned observational study was led from January 2020 to January 2021. All the patients with cranial nerve palsy co...

BackgroundMultiple spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas (SDAVFs) are rare and account for only 1-2% of all SDAVF cases. The treatment for SDAVFs typically involves either direct surgy or endovascular treatment. Identifying the precise location of all fistulas is paramount for successful treatment procedures when multiple SDAVFs are present. They can be classified as synchronous (occurring simultaneously) or metachronous (occurring at different times), with each type differing with respect to etio...

AimsCarotid atherosclerosis is a leading cause of ischemic stroke, driven by plaque inflammation. While current carotid imaging focuses on luminal stenosis, quantitative perivascular adipose tissue attenuation (PVAT) on computed tomography angiography has emerged as a potential non-invasive biomarker for arterial inflammation and plaque instability in coronary arteries. This systematic review and meta-analysis consider the utility of PVAT for imaging and risk-stratifying inflamed and vulnerable ...

BackgroundWe evaluated the impact of collateral flow of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory and cross flow visualized with internal carotid artery (ICA)-selective Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) constructed by pencil beam presaturation (BeamSAT) pulse on preoperative cerebral hemodynamic status and postoperative hyperperfusion syndrome. MethodsFourty-eight patients who underwent carotid artery stenting or carotid endarterectomy were included. The preoperative status of collateral fl...

Background and purposeCarotid-cavernous fistulas (CCF), dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) and spinal arteriovenous fistula (SAVF) are rare vascular malformations that cause arteriovenous shunting. Detecting the shunt point and flow direction is necessary for shunt disease diagnosis and treatment. Hence, we propose a new shunt disease diagnostic way with four dimensional-flow magnetic resonance imaging (4D-flow MRI). Material and methodsThe 4D-flow MRI and the DSA (digital subtraction angiograp...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, radiology practices are reporting a decrease in imaging volumes. We review total imaging volume, CTA head and neck volume, critical results rate, and stroke intervention rates before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Total imaging volume as well as CTA head and neck imaging fell approximately 60% since the beginning of the pandemic. Critical results fell 60-70% for total imaging as well as for CTA head and neck. Compared to the same time frame a year prior, the numb...

BACKGROUNDImmune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPI) are a game changer in the treatment of various metastasized cancers, but emerging reports of adverse events, including ICPI-associated autoimmune encephalitis (ICPI-AIE), are concerning. We aimed to collect all published cases of ICPI-AIE to identify the salient clinical and laboratory features of this disorder. METHODSWe searched PubMed, The Cochrane Library and Embase for ICPI-AIE cases from the first description in 2015 until 01/2020 using standa...

NMDA receptor antagonists have a vital role in extinction, learning, and reconsolidation processes. During the reconsolidation window, memories are activated into a labile state and can be stored in an altered form. This concept might have significant clinical implications in treating PTSD. Using amygdala activity as a major biomarker of fear response, we tested the potential of a single subanesthetic intravenous infusion of ketamine (NMDA receptor antagonist) to enhance post-retrieval extinctio...

BackgroundDiagnosing MS through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) requires extensive clinical experience and tedious work. Furthermore, MRI-indicated MS lesion locations rarely align with the patients symptoms and often contradict with pathology studies. Our lab has developed and modified a novel diffusion basis spectrum imaging (DBSI) technique to address the shortcomings of MRI-based MS diagnoses. Although primary DBSI metrics have been demonstrated to be associated with axonal injury/loss, dem...

BackgroundFunctional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is quickly becoming a significant outcome measure for clinical trials and as more than one thousand trials with fMRI as an outcome measure were registered in clinicaltrials.gov at the time of writing this article. However, 93% of these registered trials are still not completed with published results and there is no picture available about methodological dimensions of these ongoing trials with fMRI as an outcome measure. MethodsWe collected ...

The objective of this study was to evaluate initial feasibility and improvement in the detection of calcified carotid arteries by including quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) in the carotid vessel wall multi-contrast MRI (mcMRI) protocol using CTA as the reference standard. In a pilot cohort of ten patients with significant carotid artery stenosis, calcified vessel detection by mcMRI achieved 64.7% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Adding QSM to mcMRI improved sensitivity to 100% while no...

BackgroundCarpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is the most common compressive neuropathy, accounting for 90% of all neuropathies. Its prevalence ranges from 3.8% - 7.8% in the population. The gold standard for its diagnosis is the neurophysiological study (85% sensitivity and 95% specificity), with the disadvantage of being invasive, complex and expensive, which means an increase in cost and time for the diagnosis of the disease. The main objective of this diagnostic test evaluation study is to investig...

IntroductionMigraine, as one of the most common types of disability, has a high prevalence with significant effects on a persons living conditions. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and evaluate the clinical characteristics of migraine patients in Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Kashan. MethodThis study was performed cross-sectionally. All hospital staff (1125 people) were studied in 2019. Based on a designed questionnaire, the prevalence of migraine headaches and their relationship with ...

BackgroundContrast enhancement (CE) of intracranial atherosclerotic plaques is a valuable biomarker for identifying culprit plaques in ischemic stroke, but current assessment methods are limited by qualitative approaches and artifact susceptibility. PurposeTo develop and validate a semi-automated method for visualization and quantification of CE intensity and volume, and evaluate its accuracy and scan-rescan reproducibility. Study typeRetrospective. PopulationTwo patient groups with intracran...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSENeuroimaging of intracranial vessels with implanted stents (ICS) and flowdiverters (FD) is limited by artifacts. Photon-Counting-Detector-Computed Tomography (PCD-CT) is characterized by a higher resolution. The purpose of this study was to assess the image quality of ultra-high-resolution (UHR) PCD-CT-Angiography (PCD-CTA) and spectral reconstructions to define the best imaging parameters for the evaluation of vessel visibility in ICS and FD. MATERIALS AND METHODSRetrospe...

ObjectiveThe presence of atherosclerotic plaque components such as lipid rich necrotic core and intraplaque haemorrhage is associated with increased plaque vulnerability, and may be used to stratify the risk of future cerebrovascular events. Our aim was to investigate the relationship between selected carotid plaque components imaged with CTA, patient characteristics, and clinical outcomes. MethodsSymptomatic patients underwent carotid CTA as part of the BIOVASC study. Images were analysed for ...