BACKGROUNDFunctional imaging studies indicate abnormal activities in cortico-limbic network in depression during either task or resting state. The present work was to explore the abnormal spontaneous activity shown with regional homogeneity (ReHo) in depression by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

METHODSUsing fMRI, the differences of regional brain activity were measured in resting state in depressed vs. healthy participants. Sixteen participants firstly diagnosed with major depressive disorder and 16 controls were scanned during resting state. A novel method based on ReHo was used to detect spontaneous hemodynamic responses across the whole brain.

RESULTSReHo in the left thalamus, left temporal lobe, left cerebellar posterior lobe, and the bilateral occipital lobe was found to be significantly decreased in depression compared to healthy controls in resting state of depression.

CONCLUSIONSAbnormal spontaneous activity exists in the left thalamus, left temporal lobe, left cerebellar posterior lobe, and the bilateral occipital lobe. And the ReHo may be a potential reference in understanding the distinct brain activity in resting state of depression.

Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; pathology ; Female ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Occipital Lobe ; pathology ; Temporal Lobe ; pathology ; Thalamus ; pathology ; Young Adult

Anticonvulsants ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsies, Partial ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Infant ; Occipital Lobe ; pathology ; Prognosis

Brain Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; pathology ; Child ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Glioma ; pathology ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Meningioma ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; pathology ; Mucin-1 ; metabolism ; Occipital Lobe ; Vimentin ; metabolism

Visual loss and field defects commonly occur after acute blood loss. We present a case of bilateral permanent visual field defect in a 30-year-old man after a massive hemorrhage caused by large vessel injury during a right nephrectomy. His postoperative visual acuity decreased significantly, and his visual field showed peripheral constriction and inferior altitudinal field defect in both eyes. A year and a half after the operation, visual acuity recovered to the preoperative level, but the field did not show improvement. We advance that this is a possible result of extensive injury to the occipital area, excluding the corresponding area of the macula.
Acute Disease ; Adult ; Blindness/*etiology ; Blood Loss, Surgical/*physiopathology ; Cerebral Infarction/complications/*etiology ; Humans ; Male ; Nephrectomy ; Occipital Lobe/pathology ; Vena Cava, Inferior/injuries ; Vision Disorders/*etiology ; *Visual Fields

This study was undertaken to identify acute changes and mechanism of traumatic brain edema in the rabit by measuring the regional specific gravities and water content with Evans blue dye staining. After delivery of brain injury on the frontal area, animals were sacrificed at 30 minutes, 2, 4 and 6 hours. Specific gravity data collection of regional brain tissue was taken in the serial copper sulfate gravity solution. The regions tested included frontal lobe, occipital lobe, basal ganglia, cerebellum, pons and medulla. Specific gravity data and Evans blue dye staining with spread were compared with those from similar areas in the uninjured anesthetized rabbits to test for brain edema. The results obtained were as follows: 1) Immediately following brain impact, almost all animals in this study demonstrated temporary respiratory arrest. The mean duration of respiratory arrest in experimental animals was 15+/-3 seconds. There was no correlation between length of respiratory arrest and either gross intracranial pathology or brain edema data. 2) The specific gravities in both hemispheres were same in control animals and were not affected by the duration of anesthesia. 3) Significant decrease of specific gravity was identified in the both supratentorial regions at 30 minutes, 2 and 4 hours after trauma. This finding was more prominent in the contused side. No significant changes occurred in the cerebellum but significant decrease of specific gravity occurred in medulla at 6 hours. 4) Almost brain water content was increased as the time course and arrived on peak value at 4 hours and decreased at 6 hours after trauma in the supratentorial regions. 5) Evans blue dye staining occurred in the contusion area at 30 minutes after trauma and spread to surrounding cortex and subcortex but dye density was decreased with time. These results suggest that traumatic brain edema may originate from vasogenic mechanism due to dysfunction of blood-brain barrier and this edema may spread to both cerebral hemispheres and brain stem.
Anesthesia ; Animals ; Basal Ganglia ; Blood-Brain Barrier ; Brain Edema* ; Brain Injuries* ; Brain Stem ; Brain* ; Cerebellum ; Cerebrum ; Contusions ; Copper Sulfate ; Data Collection ; Edema ; Evans Blue ; Frontal Lobe ; Gravitation ; Occipital Lobe ; Pathology ; Pons ; Rabbits ; Specific Gravity

OBJECTIVETo investigate morphological changes of capillary in aging brain and explore the role of vascular factor in brain aging.

METHODSTwenty-eight brains of individuals (mean age 65 years) who died without clinical or pathological involvement of nervous system and 6 brains of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients (mean age 83 years) were obtained at autopsy. Sections from frontal lobe, occipital lobe, striatum and hippocampus of normal subjects and sections from hippocampus of AD patients were used for hematoxylin eosin (HE), lox fast blue (LFB), toluidine blue stains and ulex europaeus agglutinin (UEA) immunostaining. After observations of morphological changes of neuron and capillary, computer-aid image analysis was performed to quantify numerical density and area density of neuron and capillary in frontal lobe, occipital lobe, putamen, CA3 sector of normal subjects and CA3 sector of AD patients. Numerical ratio and area ratio of neuron and capillary were then calculated. Correlations between neuron/capillary ratio and age were estimated using Pearson's correlation test. Difference of neuron/capillary ratio in CA3 sectors between AD patients and advanced aged normal subjects (> 75 years) was analyzed with Student's t-test.

RESULTSSeveral pathological microvascular changes, including increased tortuosity, looping, bundling, stringing, and effacement of endothelia were seen in aged subjects and more prevalent in AD patients. Numerical ratio and area ratio of neuron and capillary of frontal lobe, occipital lobe and putamen significantly increased with age in normal aging subjects.

CONCLUSIONSMorphological changes and relative decrease in number and capacity of capillary in aging brain may reduce cerebral blood flow and metabolism, and consequently result in functional impairment of aging brain. Vascular factors may play an important role in the development of brain aging.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aging ; Alzheimer Disease ; etiology ; pathology ; Capillaries ; anatomy & histology ; pathology ; Cell Count ; Cerebral Cortex ; blood supply ; pathology ; Female ; Frontal Lobe ; blood supply ; pathology ; Hippocampus ; blood supply ; pathology ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neurons ; pathology ; Occipital Lobe ; blood supply ; pathology

Antifungal Agents ; therapeutic use ; Aspergillus fumigatus ; pathogenicity ; Brain Abscess ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; microbiology ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Neuroaspergillosis ; complications ; pathology ; Occipital Lobe ; pathology ; Pulmonary Aspergillosis ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; microbiology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome

An eighteen-year-old girl presented recurrent partial and generalized seizures associated with the T-2 high signal intensities of MR brain imaging. Serum and CSF lactate levels were elevated. Muscle biopsy revealed "ragged red fiber" . The diagnosis of MELAS was confirmed by molecular genetic analysis showing 3,243 mtDNA point mutation. Localized proton MR spectroscopy was performed on a GE 1.5 T SIGNA MRI/MRS system and analyzed by STEAM (Stimulated Echo Acquisition Method). 1H-MR spectrocopy demonstrated elevation of lactate contents and decrease of N-acetyl aspartate contents in the involed area. The Tc99m-ECD SPECT revealed multifocal decrease of perfusion in bilateral parietal, temporal and occipital lobe, especially right temporal and left occipital lobe. These features suggest that the pathology of brain lesions of MELAS syndrome may be sub-necrotic incomplete ischemic changes caused by metabolic derangement.
Aspartic Acid ; Biopsy ; Brain ; Diagnosis ; DNA, Mitochondrial ; Female ; Humans ; Lactic Acid ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; MELAS Syndrome* ; Mitochondria ; Molecular Biology* ; Neuroimaging ; Occipital Lobe ; Pathology ; Perfusion ; Point Mutation ; Protons ; Rabeprazole ; Seizures ; Steam ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*