Marchiafava-Bignami disease (MBD) is a fatal disorder characterized by demyelination of the corpus callosum. MRI, suggestive of corpus callosum demyelination with associated white matter involvement in both cerebral hemispheres, indicates a diagnosis of MBD. In this case, MR diffusion-weighted findings taken at an acute stage of MBD revealed lesions not only in the corpus callosum but also in the cerebral cortex. Lower apparent diffusion coefficient values of the corpus callosum and cortical lesions were associated with poor clinical outcome.
Middle Aged ; Male ; Humans ; Demyelinating Diseases/*pathology ; Corpus Callosum/*pathology ; Brain/*pathology ; Alcoholism/complications

Child ; Corpus Callosum ; pathology ; Encephalitis, Herpes Simplex ; pathology ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Male

OBJECTIVES: This study was peformed to compare and measure the changes of corpus callosum of the schizophrenic patients with those of controls, to compare according to clinical symptoms, onset age. METHOD: Brain magnetic resonance imaging study was performed in 38 schizophrenic patients and 28 controls, and the authors measured cerebral area, anterior, middle, posterior callosal areas, vertical width, perpendicular width and maximal horizontal callosal length. The schizophrenic patients were assessed by the PANSS. To correct cerebral areas, ANCOVA was used with cerebral areas as covariants. And two-tailed t-test, ANOVA were used to compare callosal measurements according to subgroups. RESULTS: The schizophrenic patients, compared with controls, were significantly wider in posterior callosal area and thinner in anterior vertical width. The schizophrenic patients with prominent positive symptoms were significantly wider and thicker in middle callosal area, anterior middle vertical width than controls, and those with prominent negative symptoms were significantly thinner in posterior vertical width than those with prominent positive symptoms and wider in anterior area than controls. Early onset patients were significantly thicker in middle perpendicular area than controls. CONCLUSIONS: There were various controversial findings about corpus callosal pathology of the schizophrenic patients. This study, after correction of cerebral area, revealed increased sizes of several parts of callosal regions, and then it suggested neurodevelopmental abnormalities. And also significant differences in callosal regions according positive and negative symptoms suggested that these reflected the heterogeneities of schizophrenia.
Age of Onset ; Brain* ; Corpus Callosum ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Pathology ; Schizophrenia

We evaluated the surgical effects of the callosotomy, particularly with respect to the effect of callosotomy in some seizure types and the extent of surgery. Twenty-one patients with a minimum follow-up of two year were enrolled. The most significant effect of callosotomy was the complete suppression of the generalized seizures associated with drop attack in 12 of 21 patients and seizure reduction of more than 75% in 6 of 21 patients. The surgical effect on the partial seizures was very variable. Transient disconnection syndrome appeared in 4 patients after anterior callosotomy. Total callosotomy by staged operation significantly suppressed generalized seizures associated with drop attack without any disconnection syndrome. Our data show that callosotomy is quite a good approach to the surgical treatment of drop attacks accompanied by disabling generalized seizures.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Corpus Callosum/*surgery ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsy, Generalized/pathology/*surgery ; Female ; Human ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Prognosis ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Involvement of the corpus callosum (CC) is reported to be a consistent feature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We examined the CC pathology using diffusion tensor tractography analysis to identify precisely which fiber bundles are involved in ALS. METHODS: Diffusion tensor imaging was performed in 14 sporadic ALS patients and 16 age-matched healthy controls. Whole brain tractography was performed using the multiple-region of interest (ROI) approach, and CC fiber bundles were extracted in two ways based on functional and structural relevance: (i) cortical ROI selection based on Brodmann areas (BAs), and (ii) the sulcal-gyral pattern of cortical gray matter using FreeSurfer software, respectively. RESULTS: The mean fractional anisotropy (FA) values of the CC fibers interconnecting the primary motor (BA4), supplementary motor (BA6), and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (BA9/46) were significantly lower in ALS patients than in controls, whereas those of the primary sensory cortex (BA1, BA2, BA3), Broca's area (BA44/45), and the orbitofrontal cortex (BA11/47) did not differ significantly between the two groups. The FreeSurfer ROI approach revealed a very similar pattern of abnormalities. In addition, a significant correlation was found between the mean FA value of the CC fibers interconnecting the primary motor area and disease severity, as assessed using the revised Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale, and the clinical extent of upper motor neuron signs. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that there is some degree of selectivity or a gradient in the CC pathology in ALS. The CC fibers interconnecting the primary motor and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices may be preferentially involved in ALS.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis* ; Anisotropy ; Brain ; Corpus Callosum* ; Diffusion Tensor Imaging ; Diffusion* ; Humans ; Motor Neuron Disease ; Motor Neurons ; Pathology ; Prefrontal Cortex

BACKGROUNDHereditary spastic paraplegia is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative disorders of the motor system, characterized by slowly progressive spasticity and weakness of the lower extremities. This study was conducted to investigate the clinical features of hereditary spastic paraplegia with thin corpus callosum (HSP-TCC).

METHODSClinical data from five patients and thirty-five previously published case reports of HSP-TCC were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTSMost patients were adolescents at the onset of the disease, presenting with spastic paraparesis of the lower limbs and mental impairment. Some patients also had other clinical features, including spasticity of the upper limbs, cerebellar ataxia, and sensory disturbances. Cranial MRIs of the five patients revealed an extremely thin corpus callosum, sometimes with widened cerebral sulci and ventricles, as well as with cerebellar and cerebral atrophy.

CONCLUSIONThe main clinical features of HSP-TCC include slowly progressive spastic paraplegia, mental impairment during the second decade of life, and an extremely thin corpus callosum as shown on cranial MRIs.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Agenesis of Corpus Callosum ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 15 ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Spastic Paraplegia, Hereditary ; genetics ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical features of mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion (MERS) in children.

METHODSThe clinical data of 8 children with MERS were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTSThe mean age of onset was 5 years and 2 months (range 10 months to 12 years). The major clinical features included a history of prodromal infection, and among these children, 5 had pyrexia and 4 had vomiting. Of all the children, 6 were manifested as convulsion and 3 each were manifested as disturbance of consciousness and paroxysmal paropsia. Cranial diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed high signals in the splenium of the corpus callosum. Among these children, one child had symmetric and multiple long T1 and long T2 signals in the bilateral centrum semiovale and part of the temporal white matter. MRI reexamination performed after 5-30 days showed the disappearance of abnormal signals in all the children. The children were followed up for 3 months to 2 years, and no child experienced abnormal neurodevelopment.

CONCLUSIONSThe development of MERS in children is closely associated with infection. MERS is characterized by high signals in the splenium of the corpus callosum on cranial diffusion-weighted MRI. Most children have good prognosis.

Brain Diseases ; pathology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Corpus Callosum ; pathology ; Encephalitis ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Male ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVETo investigate the value of diffusion tenser image (DTI) in identifying subtle abnormalities in the corpus callosum and bilateral middle cerebellar peduncles in patients with the initial onset of schizophrenia.

METHODSTwenty patients with the first episode of schizophrenia and 18 healthy subjects were examined by DTI. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and averaged diffusion coefficient (ADC) were measured in the bilateral middle cerebellar peduncles, genu and splenium of the corpus callosum. Independent-sample t test was used to compare the value of FA and ADC between the two groups.

RESULTThe FA of the bilateral middle cerebellar peduncles was significantly lower in the schizophrenic patients than in the healthy subjects (P<0.05), but that in the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum were comparable between the two groups (P>0.05). The ADC values showed no significant difference in all the above regions between the two groups (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSubtle abnormal changes occur in the cerebrum-cerebellumto circuit in schizophrenic patients, and may trigger the onset of the symptoms in the early stages of schizophrenia.

Adult ; Cerebellum ; pathology ; Corpus Callosum ; pathology ; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Female ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Schizophrenia ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the changes in subcortical white matter and corpus callosum volumes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODSHigh resolution three-dimensional T1-weighted fast spoiled gradient recalled echo magnetic resonance images were obtained from 16 T2DM patients and 16 normal controls, and 11 T2DM patients also received the same magnetic resonance imaging scans after insulin therapy for 1 year. Volumetric analysis was performed and analysis of covariance and paired t test were applied.

RESULTSA lower volume was demonstrated in T2DM patients than that in the normal controls in bilateral caudal middle frontal lobe, bilateral pars opercularis, right inferior parietal lobe, right inferior temporal lobe, right middle temporal lobe, and left transverse temporal lobe (all P<0.05). After insulin therapy for 1 year, the increased subcortical white matter of brain regions were demonstrated in left medial orbitofrontal lobe, right caudal middle frontal lobe, right inferior parietal lobe, right lingual lobe, right inferior temporal lobe, right middle temporal lobe, left transverse temporal lobe, left entorhinal lobe and left insular lobe at the follow-up level in T2DM patients compared with baseline level (P<0.05). The decreased volumes of subcortical white matter were observed in the bilateral paracentral lobe, right superior forntal lobe and right precuneus lobe in T2DM patients on insulin therapy for 1 year (P<0.05). A decreased trend of subcortical white matter was involved in corpus callosum (P>0.05) and a significant decreased volume was demonstrated in the middle posterior part of corpus callosum after insulin therapy for 1 year(P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONST2DM patients have decreased subcortical white matter of multiple brain regions, and the atrophy of subcortical white matter can be improved by the insulin therapy. The volume analysis of subcortical white matter is a simple and effective tool for the evaluation of white matter damage in T2DM patients.

Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; Corpus Callosum ; pathology ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Plethysmography

OBJECTIVETo investigate the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) feature of multiple cerebral sclerosis (MS) for better understanding and diagnosis of this disease.

METHODSThe MRI data of 32 patients with MS were reviewed. Conventional scanning with T1WI, T2WI, Flair sequence was performed, and 26 patients underwent Gd-DTPA enhanced scanning. The MS plaques were analyzed for their locations, sizes, shapes, MR signals and enhanced features, space-occupying signs, and the related corpus callosum changes and brain atrophy. Descriptive statistical method was used for all the data.

RESULTSMRI identified MS lesions in the brain in 30 cases, with the sensitivity of 93.75%. All the MS patients had multiple lesions with predilection sites of the cortical/juxtacortical and periventricle areas, the centrum semiovale, and the corpus callosum. Most of the MS plaques were round or oval of different sizes. Bilateral lesions were almost symmetrical in distribution. Twenty patients had "rectangular demyelination" and 12 had "dirty white matter" signs, and 11 had both manifestations. The lesions were isointense, slightly hypointense or hypointense on T1WI, and hyperintense on T2WI and Flair sequences. Most of the MS plaques presented no enhancement, with occasional nodular or circular enhancement. No or slight space-occupying effect was found in the plaques. Of the 28 MS patients undergoing sagittal scanning of the corpus callosum, 17 presented with abnormal signals, with the sensitivity of 60.71% (17/28). Five patients had corpus callosum atrophy, and 10 had brain atrophy of different degrees.

CONCLUSIONThese results suggest that the corpus callosum is often compromised by the MS lesions to present diffusive, nodular, radiating signal abnormalities and irregular ependymal thickening, which can be most obvious with sagittal FLAIR imaging.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Brain ; pathology ; Corpus Callosum ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Sclerosis ; diagnosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult