More articles from Brain
- Widespread White Matter Alterations in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease: A Voxelwise Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study
Hemodyalisis may not prevent brain damage resulting from accumulation of urea and other metabolites as previously believed. These investigators used voxelwise DTI to assess the white matter of 28 patients with end-stage renal disease. All DTI parameters were abnormal, especially in the callosum, sagittal stratum, and pons.
- Metabolite Differences in the Lenticular Nucleus in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Shown by Proton MR Spectroscopy
A group of 22 patients with type 2 diabetes underwent MR spectroscopy of the deep gray matter nuclei and their metabolite ratios of NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr were assessed and correlated with laboratory findings. Metabolite ratios were different in the left and right lenticular nuclei and in the thalami, suggesting that diabetes affects these differently with the former being more vulnerable than the latter. The metabolic abnormalities preceded anatomic lesions.
- Perivascular Spaces Are Associated with Atherosclerosis: An Insight from the Northern Manhattan Study
Perivascular spaces may be associated with cardiovascular and dementia risks and these authors sought to determine if they are also associated with atherosclerosis. Thus, perivascular spaces were assessed in more than 700 patients and correlated with race, age, and cardiovascular risks. They were found to be more common in older hypertensive patients and the presence of carotid artery plaques strongly and consistently predicted their presence.
- Hemodynamic Effects of Developmental Venous Anomalies with and without Cavernous Malformations
Perfusion imaging was done in patients with developmental venous anomalies with and without accompanying cavernous malformations. The normal-appearing brain surrounding DVAs showed higher blood volume, longer mean transit time, and variable changes in blood flow. DVAs with cavernomas showed greater MTT prolongation and less blood flow indicating greater restrictive effects upon the adjacent brain. The authors offer some ingenious and interesting explanations for these findings.