OBJECTIVETo measure gray matter volume of whole brain with voxel-based morphometry (VBM) method and to study brain structures associated with gross motor function.

METHODForty children with cerebral palsy were recruited in the authors' hospital from Oct. 2012 to Dec. 2013 (26 male, 14 female cases, average age (3.6 ± 2.0) years ). Gross motor function classification system (GMFCS) for children was used to obtain their motor function. The whole-brain three dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on a 3.0 T MRI scanner. The data were segmented by VBM 5, and the whole brain volumes of gray matter, white matter and cerebospinal fluid were produced. Correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation of GMFCS with whole brain volumes using SPM 5 in Matalab 7.1.

RESULTThe volume in left meditemporal gyrus (Z=3.57) and inferior temporal gyrus (Z=3.40), right thalamus and pallidum (Z=3.36), left thalamus and pallidum (Z=2.76), left supramarginal gyrus (Z=3.14), left precuneus gyrus (Z=3.00), right dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus (Z=3.08), right superior and medial occipital gyrus (Z=2.84) significantly increased as aggravation of gross motor dysfunction. The volume of the left medial orbitofrontal lobe and anterior cingulate (Z=3.28,3.02), left medial superior frontal gyrus (Z=3.19), left caudate (Z=3.04, 2.94, 2.92), left cerebellum (Z=2.94), right cerebellum (Z=2.97), left parahippocampal (Z=3.94), right parahippocampal (Z=3.43, 3.00), left insula (Z=3.50), right insula (Z=3.41, 3.80), left lingual (Z=3.37), right lingual (Z=3.30), left post cingulum (Z=2.73), left midioccipital gyrus (Z=2.92) and right miditemporal gyrus (Z=3.05) significantly reduced as the aggravation of gross motor dysfunction (P all<0.005).

CONCLUSIONGMFCS in children with cerebral palsy is related to abnormalities of brain gray matter structure for motor, emotion, memory and default model network when examined with VBM method.

Cerebral Palsy ; physiopathology ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Gray Matter ; pathology ; Humans ; Infant ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male

OBJECTIVETo explore the grey matter volume (GMV) changes in neuromyelitis optica (NMO) patients using a voxel-based morphometry method.

METHODSWhole brain structural images were acquired in 16 NMO patients and 16 gender-and age-matched healthy controls. Comparison of GMV between the two groups was analyzed by VBM8 toolbox of statistical parametric mapping 8.

RESULTCompared with the controls, NMO patients showed decreased GMV in the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, occipital lobe, limbic lobe, optic tract, caudate nucleus, thalamus, and cerebellum (all P < 0.005).

CONCLUSIONSRegional atrophy of grey matter is found in NMO patients. Voxel-based morphometry can reveal brain volume changes sensitively.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Gray Matter ; pathology ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Neuromyelitis Optica ; pathology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo explore the morphometric abnormalities of brain gray matter (GM) in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP).

METHODSThirty patients with CLBP and 30 healthy individuals were enrolled and examined with a 3.0 T magnetic resonance (MR) scanner. High-resolution T1 structural MR data were acquired and data analysis was performed using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) in FMRIB Software Library. The morphological differences were compared between the two groups.

RESULTSs Compared with the healthy control subjects, patients with CLBP showed decreased GM volumes in several brain cortical areas including the bilateral superior frontal gyrus, right frontal pole, left insular cortex, left middle and left inferior temporal gyrus (P<0.05, after TFCE correction). Increased GM volumes were found in the patients in the subcortical structures including the left thalamus, bilateral putamen, bilateral nucleus accumben and right caudate nucleus (P<0.05, after TFCE correction).

CONCLUSIONPatients with CLBP have different patterns of GM abnormalities in different brain regions, characterized by reduced GM volume in cerebral cortical regions and increased GM volume in the subcortical nuclei. Such changes might be associated with the maladaptation of the brain in chronic pain state.

Cerebral Cortex ; Frontal Lobe ; Gray Matter ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Humans ; Low Back Pain ; physiopathology ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Temporal Lobe ; Thalamus

OBJECTIVE: Alternate ascending/descending directional navigation (ALADDIN) is a novel arterial spin labeling technique that does not require a separate spin preparation pulse. We sought to compare the normalized cerebral blood flow (nCBF) values obtained by ALADDIN and dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with primary brain tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen patients with primary brain tumors underwent MRI scans including contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging, DSC perfusion MRI, and ALADDIN. The nCBF values of normal gray matter (GM) and tumor areas were measured by both DSC perfusion MRI and ALADDIN, which were compared by the Wilcoxon signed rank test. Subgroup analyses according to pathology were performed with the Wilcoxon signed rank test. RESULTS: Higher mean nCBF values of GM regions in the bilateral frontal lobe, temporal lobe, and caudate were detected by ALADDIN than by DSC perfusion MRI (p <0.05). In terms of the mean or median nCBF values and the mean of the top 10% nCBF values from tumors, DSC perfusion MRI and ALADDIN did not statistically significantly differ either overall or in each tumor group. CONCLUSION: ALADDIN tended to detect higher nCBF values in normal GM, as well as higher perfusion portions of primary brain tumors, than did DSC perfusion MRI. We believe that the high perfusion signal on ALADDIN can be beneficial in lesion detection and characterization.
Brain Neoplasms ; Cerebrovascular Circulation ; Frontal Lobe ; Glioma ; Gray Matter ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Angiography ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Pathology ; Perfusion ; Temporal Lobe

OBJECTIVETo study features of brain gray matter injury in cerebral infarction patients and intervention of scalp acupuncture by using voxel-based morphology.

METHODSA total of 16 cerebral infarction patients were recruited in this study, and assigned to the scalp acupuncture group and the control group, 8 in each group. Another 16 healthy volunteers were recruited as a normal group. All patients received scanning of T1 structure. Images were managed using VBM8 Software package. Difference of the gray matter structure was compared among the scalp acupuncture group, the control group, and the healthy volunteers.

RESULTSCompared with healthy volunteers, gray matter injury of cerebral infarction patients mainly occurred in 14 brain regions such as cingulate gyrus, precuneus, cuneus, anterior central gyrus, insular lobe, and so on. They were mainly distributed in affected side. Two weeks after treatment when compared with healthy volunteers, gray matter injury of cerebral infarction patients in the scalp acupuncture group still existed in 8 brain regions such as bilateral lingual gyrus, posterior cingulate gyrus, left cuneus, right precuneus, and so on. New gray matter injury occurred in lingual gyrus and posterior cingulate gyrus. Two weeks after treatment when compared with healthy volunteers, gray matter injury of cerebral infarction patients in the control group existed in 23 brain regions: bilateral anterior cingulum, caudate nucleus, cuneate lobe, insular lobe, inferior frontal gyrus, medial frontal gyrus, precuneus, paracentral lobule, superior temporal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, lingual gyrus, right postcentral gyrus, posterior cingulate gyrus, precentral gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, and so on. New gray matter injury still existed in 9 cerebral regions such as lingual gyrus, posterior cingulate gyrus, postcentral gyrus, and so on.

CONCLUSIONSBrain gray matter structure is widely injured after cerebral infarction. Brain gray matter volume gradually decreased as time went by. Combined use of scalp acupuncture might inhibit the progression of gray matter injury more effectively.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Brain ; physiopathology ; Brain Injuries ; therapy ; Cerebral Infarction ; therapy ; Gray Matter ; pathology ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Scalp ; Stroke ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo investigate the changes in whole brain gray matter volume in patients with trigeminal neuralgia using voxel-based morphometry (VBM).

METHODSTwenty-eight patients with trigeminal neuralgia and 28 healthy controls underwent magnetic resonance imaging with a Philips 1.5T MRI scanner. VBM was used to compare the structural differences in the whole brain gray matter between the two groups based on the DARTEL after data preprocessing with SPM8 software package.

RESULTSCompared with the healthy controls, the patients with trigeminal neuralgia presented with decreased gray matter volume in several brain regions including the bilateral middle temporal gyrus, bilateral superior/middle frontal gyrus, left pre-/post-central gyrus, right fusiform and anterior cingulate gyrus.

CONCLUSIONSPatients with trigeminal neuralgia had abnormal gray matter volume in some brain regions associated with perception and processing of pain sensation. These changes may provide clues for further exploration of the neuropathogenic basis of trigeminal neuralgia.

Brain Mapping ; Case-Control Studies ; Frontal Lobe ; pathology ; Gray Matter ; pathology ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Temporal Lobe ; pathology ; Trigeminal Neuralgia ; pathology

Subjective memory impairment (SMI) is now increasingly recognized as a risk factor of progression to dementia. This study investigated gray and white matter changes in the brains of SMI patients compared with normal controls and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients. We recruited 28 normal controls, 28 subjects with SMI, and 29 patients with MCI aged 60 or older. We analyzed gray and white matter changes using a voxel-based morphometry (VBM), hippocampal volumetry and regions of interest in diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). DTI parameters of corpus callosum and cingulum in SMI showed more white matter changes compared with those in normal controls, they were similar to those in MCI except in the hippocampus, which showed more degenerations in MCI. In VBM, SMI showed atrophy in the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes compared with normal controls although it was not as extensive as that in MCI. Patients with SMI showed gray and white matter degenerations, the changes were distinct in white matter structures. SMI might be the first presenting symptom within the Alzheimer's disease continuum when combined with additional risk factors and neurodegenerative changes.
Aged ; Brain/*pathology ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Diffusion Tensor Imaging/methods ; Female ; Gray Matter/*pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Memory Disorders/*diagnosis/etiology ; Mild Cognitive Impairment/complications/*diagnosis ; Neurodegenerative Diseases/complications/*pathology ; Reference Values ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; White Matter/*pathology

OBJECTIVETo explore the value of the application of oil red O staining in spinal cord injury (SCI) of rats.

METHODSWith simple randomization, 24 Spargue-Dawley male rats were divided into normal control group including 6, and SCI group including 18. Spinal cord was transected at spinal lever T10 to build SCI model. Six rats of SCI group were sacrificed randomly at 1, 2, 4 weeks after surgery. After the spinal cord tissue sections were made, oil red O staining methods were used to observe the changes at the end of transected spinal cord. Images were analyzed by Image-Pro Plus 6.0 and SPSS 20.0 software.

RESULTSThe oil red O staining of normal control group showed that white matter surrounded by myelin sheath was clear and obviously distinctive from grey matter. Uneven and strengthened staining in oil O was observed in grey matter of SCI group at 1, 2, 4 weeks post-SCI.

CONCLUSIONIt is a good method to label the myelin sheath in spinal cord and distinct white matter from grey matter by oil red O staining. Analysis of the images showed that lipid may become another target for drugs, which needs more researches.

Animals ; Azo Compounds ; Gray Matter ; pathology ; Male ; Nerve Fibers ; physiology ; Nerve Regeneration ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; pathology ; Staining and Labeling

OBJECTIVETo investigate the prenatal ultrasonic manifestations of fetal gray matter heterotopias (FGMH) and evaluate the optimal method its prenatal diagnosis.

METHODSThe prenatal and postnatal ultrasound images and MRI images were analyzed for a fetus with a definitive diagnosis of FGMH. The detection rates of FGMH by prenatal ultrasound and MRI reported in literature were compared.

RESULTSWe identified 11 reports of FGMH from 1998 to 2015, involving 43 cases with prenatal diagnoses. Of the total of 44 cases (including our case), 32 that had been confirmed postpartum had prenatal ultrasound and MRI data, which showed a significantly lower detection rates of FGMH by prenatal ultrasound than by MRI (43.8% vs 93.8%, P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONPrenatal ultrasound can only detect subependymal heterotopia with characteristic manifestations, and the detection of other types of FGMH relies on MRI, which is currently the best option for prenatal diagnosis of FGMH.

Classical Lissencephalies and Subcortical Band Heterotopias ; diagnosis ; Female ; Fetal Diseases ; diagnosis ; Fetus ; Gray Matter ; pathology ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Ultrasonography, Prenatal

BACKGROUND: Stroke involving the cerebral white matter (WM) has increased in prevalence, but most experimental studies have focused on ischemic injury of the gray matter. This study was performed to investigate the WM in a unique rat model of photothrombotic infarct targeting the posterior limb of internal capsule (PLIC), focusing on the identification of the most vulnerable structure in WM by ischemic injury, subsequent glial reaction to the injury, and the fundamental histopathologic feature causing different neurologic outcomes. METHODS: Light microscopy with immunohistochemical stains and electron microscopic examinations of the lesion were performed between 3 hours and 21 days post-ischemic injury. RESULTS: Initial pathological change develops in myelinated axon, concomitantly with reactive change of astrocytes. The first pathology to present is nodular loosening to separate the myelin sheath with axonal wrinkling. Subsequent pathologies include rupture of the myelin sheath with extrusion of axonal organelles, progressive necrosis, oligodendrocyte degeneration and death, and reactive gliosis. Increase of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunoreactivity is an early event in the ischemic lesion. WM pathologies result in motor dysfunction. Motor function recovery after the infarct was correlated to the extent of PLIC injury proper rather than the infarct volume. CONCLUSIONS: Pathologic changes indicate that the cerebral WM, independent of cortical neurons, is highly vulnerable to the effects of focal ischemia, among which myelin sheath is first damaged. Early increase of GFAP immunoreactivity indicates that astrocyte response initially begins with myelinated axonal injury, and supports the biologic role related to WM injury or plasticity. The reaction of astrocytes in the experimental model might be important for the study of pathogenesis and treatment of the WM stroke.
Astrocytes ; Axons ; Coloring Agents ; Extremities ; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein ; Gliosis ; Gray Matter ; Internal Capsule* ; Ischemia ; Microscopy ; Models, Animal ; Models, Theoretical ; Myelin Sheath ; Necrosis ; Neurons ; Oligodendroglia ; Organelles ; Pathology ; Plastics ; Prevalence ; Recovery of Function ; Rupture ; Stroke ; White Matter