Objective To evaluate MRI measurement of basal ganglia volumes in patients with Tourette's syndrome.Methods Ten patients with Tourette's syndrome(TS)and 10 healthy volunteers were studied.Volumes of bilateral candate,putamen and pallidum were measured,and the results were analyzed using paired t test.The basal ganglia volume was normalized according to individual brain volume.The basal ganglia volumes of TS patients were compared with normal control group using independent-sample t tesL Results In 10 healthy volunteers,volumes of the left caudate,putamen,pallidum were significantly larger compared with those of the right side(P＜0.05).However,there were no significant differenees between bilateral basal ganglia volumes(P＞0.05)in TS patients.After normalized processing,the volumes oftlle left candate(7.06±0.48)cm3,putamen(8.81 ± 1.01)cm3,pallidum(2.64 ± 0.38)cm3were smaller than those of control group[caudate(11.05±1.86)cm3,putamen(9.97 ±1.11 ) cm3, paUidum (3.04 ± 0.37 ) cm3 ] (t= - 6.577, - 2.457, - 2.376, P＜0.05 ).The volume of the right caudate (7.32 ± 0.26) em3 in "IS patients was significantly smaller compared with the control group (9.81±1.83) cm3 (t = -4.258, P ＜0.01 ).However, the volumes of the right putamen and pallidum had no significant difference between two groups (P＞0.05).Conclusion The basal ganglia volumes were significantly decreased in patients with TS.MRI volumetric measurement was an important tool for evaluating pathologic changes of TS.

Objective To evaluate the 80 mm volume shuttle cerebral CT perfusion(CTP) and 4D-CT angiography (CTA) in patients with stenosis or occlusion in Willis circle.Methods Conventional cerebral plain CT, 80 mm CTP and dynamic 4D-CTA were performed in 55 patients with unilateral MCA/ ICA stenosis or occlusion.The parameter maps of cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral blood volume (CBV), mean transit time (MTT) and time to peak (TTP) were analyzed.Meanwhile dynamic 4D-CTA images were also obtained.The significance of the differences of CBF, CBV, MTT and TTP between the affected side and the contralateral side was assessed using K Independent Samples analysis.Results In 40 patients with unilateral stenosis or occlusion of MCA/ICA, CTP was found abnormal in 36 patients.MTT and TTP of affected side [(7.18 ±1.34), (19.65 ±1.81) s] were significantly prolonged compared to contralateral side [(5.22±1.14) s, (17.62±1.65) s, X~2 =30.833,25.817, P<0.017].Centrum ovale or parietal lobe ischemic lesions were observed in 16 patients on CTP.In 15 patients with bilateral stenosis or occlusion of MCA/ICA, CTP was observed abnormal in 10 patients.CBF, CBV, MTT and TTP of affected side [(42.85 ±6.09) ml·100 g~(-1)·min~(-1), (2.63 ±0.42) ml·100 g~(-1), (11.27 ±1.43) s, (21.07 ±1.44) s)] were significantly different from those of contralateral side [(71.20 ±6.30) ml·100 g~(-1)·min~(-1), (2.29 ±0.15) ml·100 g~(-1), (3.38 ±0.61) s, (17.64 ±1.70) s (X~2 =17.314, 5.913,17.334,13.834,P<0.017)].On 4D-CTA covering 80 mm (0.625 mm×l28), unilateral stenosis of MCA were observed in 22 patients (13 right MCA and 9 left MCA), unilateral occlusion were observed in 5 patients (1 right MCA and 4 left MCA) and bilateral MCA stenosis/occlusion were observed in 9 patients.4D-CTA covering Willis cycle can display stenosis/occlsion of MCA as same as conventional CTA and DSA.Conclusion 80 mm volume shuttle CTP and 4D-CTA provide valuable information about the hemodynamic changes and the abnormalities of intracranial artery in patients with MCA/ICA stenosis or occlusion.

Objective To explore any changes in the patterns of cortical activation after repetitive transcra-nial magnetic stimulation ( rTMS) using functional near-infrared spectroscopy when rTMS is used to treat paralyzed upper limbs. Methods Thirty hemiplegic stroke survivors were randomly divided into a treatment group and a con-trol group, each of 15. Those in the treatment group received 1 Hz rTMS on the M1 area of the unaffected hemisphere for 21 days, while the control group was given sham stimulation. The Fugl-Meyer motor assessment ( FMA-UE) was used to assess the paralyzed upper limbs before the treatment and after 7, 14 and 21 days of treatment. Oxy-hemoglo-bin ( HbO2 ) levels were measured in the premotor cortex, the supplementary motor area and the sensorimotor areas ( SMCs) of the affected and unaffected hemispheres before and after the treatment using the functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Results Before the treatment there was no significant difference between the two groups in their aver-age FMA-UE scores. The average FMA-UE scores of both groups increased significantly after 14 and 21 days of treat-ment, with the average scores at 21 days significantly better than after 14 days for both groups. But after 14 and 21 days the treatment group's average score was significantly better than that of the control group. The average HbO2 level in the SMC area of the unaffected hemisphere in the treatment group had decreased significantly after 21 days of treat-ment, and it was then significantly lower than the same level in the control group. Conclusion Twenty-one days of rTMS of the unaffected hemisphere can decrease cortical activation in the unaffected SMC area and promote the recov-ery of upper limb function.