OBJECTIVES: Obsessive-compulsive(OC) symptoms have yet to be directly studied in neurodegenerative conditions involving behavioral changes. To examine regional abnormalities in the brains of dementia patients with OC symptoms, we assessed the gray matter density using voxel-based morphometry(VBM). METHODS: We performed brain magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) with VBM analysis in 106 dementia patients with OC behaviors. In this study, OC behaviors were investigated in patients with neurodegenerative disease using the modified Manchester Behavior Questionnaire. RESULTS: The OC behavior scores were correlated with structural brain volume using VBM. The total OC symptom score correlated negatively with the volume of both putamens, the right middle orbitofrontal gyrus, both anterior cingulate cortices, and the left insula(p<0.001, uncorrected). No gray matter reductions were associated specifically with the OC symptom sub-categories. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that abnormalities in these brain regions may play an important role in the pathophysiology of OCD in neurodegenerative disease. This is the first lesion study to investigate the neural basis of OCD behaviors in neurodegenerative disease.
Brain ; Dementia ; Humans ; Neurodegenerative Diseases* ; Putamen ; Questionnaires

Hemichorea have been reported in patients with nonketotic hyperglycemia. Usually, hemichorea and hyperglycemia are concomitant. A 73-year-old woman was admitted for investigation of an acute hemichorea. T1-weighted brain magnetic resonance imaging showed hyperintensity in the right putamen. Although she was a diabetic patient, she had no hyperglycemia. Interestingly, 4 weeks earlier, the patient was admitted due to nonketotic hyperglycemia. However, there were no hemichorea at that time. Although pathophysiologically controversial, a delayed hemichorea without nonketotic hyperglycemia should be considered as one of many different causes when evaluating acute hemichorea in diabetic patients.
Aged ; Brain ; Chorea ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Putamen

Transient memory impairment can be occurred by many causes. One of them is acute focal brain lesion in strategic site. Caudate nucleus and medial basal ganglia (globus pallidus) are lesion of strategic site. They play its role in cognitive processing. But lateral basal ganglia (putamen) is known as a structure involving movement, not cognitive function. We report a interesting case of transient memory dysfunction with acute focal putamen ICH with old caudate nucleus infarction.
Basal Ganglia ; Brain ; Caudate Nucleus ; Infarction ; Intracranial Hemorrhages ; Memory ; Putamen

Paralimbic association area in the temporal pole is situated between sensory association areas and the limbic regions and has direct connections with these areas and the ventral striatum. Corticostriatal connections of paralimbic association area in the temporal pole were studied with particular emphasis on specific projections of the ventral striatum to identify different contributions to the functional outcome of the ventral striatum. Retrograde tracers were injected into the five different regions of the ventral striatum such as the ventromedial caudate nucleus, ventral shell, central shell, dorsal core of the nucleus accumbens (NA), and ventrolateral putamen to identify the labeled cells of origin. Present results indicate that the temporal pole has specifically dense projections to the ventral shell of NA. This differential pattern of corticostriatal connectivity suggests that ventral shell region of ventral striatum is preferentially involved in the convergence of sensory and limbic stimulus to motivational and emotional states.
Basal Ganglia ; Caudate Nucleus ; Nucleus Accumbens ; Primates* ; Putamen

OBJECTIVE: Auditory hallucinations (AHs) are a core symptom of schizophrenia. We investigated the neural signature of AHs by comparing hallucinating patients with schizophrenia with non-hallucinating patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: We recruited hallucinating patients with schizophrenia meeting the criteria for persistent, prominent, and predominant AHs (n=10) and non-hallucinating patients with schizophrenia (n=12). Various clinical assessments were performed incluing Psychotic Symptom Rating Scale for Auditory Hallucinations. Using fludeoxyglucose (¹⁸F) positron emission tomography, regional differences in neural activity between the groups were analyzed. RESULTS: The regions of interest analysis showed significantly lower standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) in the superior, middle, and inferior frontal gyri, and higher SUVR in the putamen in patients with AHs versus patients without AHs. These findings were confirmed in the voxel-wise analysis. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that hypoactivity in the frontal and cingulate gyri, coupled with hyperactivity in the temporal gyrus and putamen, may contribute to the pathophysiology of AHs.
Electrons* ; Hallucinations* ; Humans ; Positron-Emission Tomography* ; Putamen ; Schizophrenia* ; Temporal Lobe

Among the series of 272 cases of surgically treated anterior circulation aneurysms, we experienced 6 cases of central infarctions involving caudate nucleus, globus pallidus, putamen and genu of internal capsule respectively or in combination. These surgery related complications were caused by the injury to the perforators going to the anterior perforated substance during manipulation of the large aneurysm or the aneurysms ruptured prematurely. The clinical courses of these patients, however, were not so severe. The morbidities were minimal or none after the average follow-up periods of 17 months. Thorough knowledge of the anatomy of the perforators may help to minimize the severe morbidity in the management of large or difficult aneurysms.
Aneurysm* ; Caudate Nucleus ; Follow-Up Studies ; Globus Pallidus ; Humans ; Infarction* ; Internal Capsule ; Olfactory Pathways ; Putamen

We report a diabetic woman who developed paroxysmal hemichorea during an episode of non-ketotic hyper-glycemia. A MRI showed a high signal intensity on T1-weighted images and a low signal intensity on T2-weighted images in the contralateral putamen. SPECT on the 30th day after the onset revealed an increased blood flow in the contralateral striatum. Although these abnormalities in the left putamen are considered to be the cause of her involuntary movement, the exact pathophysiological mechanisms of these abnormalities are not yet clear and further investigations are needed.
Dyskinesias ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Putamen ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of changes of parameters of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), including slice thickness/slice number, b-value and the direction number of a diffusion gradient on fractional anisotropy (FA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three groups of normal volunteers underwent brain diffusion tensor imaging with the use of three different imaging parameters as follows: a different slice thickness/slice number (6 mm/20 slices and 2.33 mm/54 slices), a different b-value (800 s/mm2/1000 s/mm2) and a different number of directions of the diffusion gradient (6 and 15 directions). The signal to noise ratio (SNR) and FA were measured by a ROI measurement at the anterior corona radiata, superior corona radiata, putamen and corpus callosum. We compared the mean SNR and FA in each group by the use of the paired T-test. RESULTS: The SNR decreased and the FA increased significantly according to the increase of the slice number (6 mm/20 slices vs. 2.33 mm/54 slices). The SNR of DTI with 15 diffusion gradient directions was significantly higher than DTI with six directions, without a difference of FA. There were no significant changes of the SNR and FA of DTI according to the b-value. CONCLUSION: It is essential and useful in the clinical application of DTI to understand the effect of imaging parameters on FA.
Anisotropy* ; Brain ; Corpus Callosum ; Diffusion Tensor Imaging* ; Diffusion* ; Healthy Volunteers ; Putamen ; Signal-To-Noise Ratio

367 patients with hypertensive intracranial hemorrhage, admitted to Masan Koryo neurosurgical department from Jan. 1988 to Dec. 1991, have been clinically analyzed. The results were as follows: 1) The group consisted of 176 males and 191 females. The peak age of the patients was at their 6th decade. Seasonal distribution of the incidence was peaked at spring and autumn. 2) 51.0% of these hemorrhage was located in putamen, 19.9% in thalamus, 12.5% in subcortex, 8.7% in cerebellum and 7.9% in brain stem. Patients with brain stem hemorrhage showed relatively poor prognosis compared with subcortex or cerebellar hemorrhage. 3) The level of consciousness at admission has significant relation to prognosis especially in non-operative group. 4) 130 patients underwent surgical treatment. In delayed operation group which was performed after at least 3 days from attack, good prognosis was obtained. 5) In 146 patients(39.8%), IVH was accompanied, which lead to poor prognosis. Especially in patients with thalamic hemorrhage, the incidence of IVH reached to 71.2%. 6) Overall outcome of 367 patients was good in 40.9%, and poor in 25.9%. Total motality rate was 33.2%.
Brain Stem ; Cerebellum ; Consciousness ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intracranial Hemorrhage, Hypertensive* ; Male ; Prognosis ; Putamen ; Seasons ; Thalamus

367 patients with hypertensive intracranial hemorrhage, admitted to Masan Koryo neurosurgical department from Jan. 1988 to Dec. 1991, have been clinically analyzed. The results were as follows: 1) The group consisted of 176 males and 191 females. The peak age of the patients was at their 6th decade. Seasonal distribution of the incidence was peaked at spring and autumn. 2) 51.0% of these hemorrhage was located in putamen, 19.9% in thalamus, 12.5% in subcortex, 8.7% in cerebellum and 7.9% in brain stem. Patients with brain stem hemorrhage showed relatively poor prognosis compared with subcortex or cerebellar hemorrhage. 3) The level of consciousness at admission has significant relation to prognosis especially in non-operative group. 4) 130 patients underwent surgical treatment. In delayed operation group which was performed after at least 3 days from attack, good prognosis was obtained. 5) In 146 patients(39.8%), IVH was accompanied, which lead to poor prognosis. Especially in patients with thalamic hemorrhage, the incidence of IVH reached to 71.2%. 6) Overall outcome of 367 patients was good in 40.9%, and poor in 25.9%. Total motality rate was 33.2%.
Brain Stem ; Cerebellum ; Consciousness ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intracranial Hemorrhage, Hypertensive* ; Male ; Prognosis ; Putamen ; Seasons ; Thalamus