bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Contrasts between DWI and DCE curve in diagnosing malignancies of breast non-mass enhancement lesions based on morphology
Authors: Li Yan
Published: August 2024

The diagnosis of NMEs is a challenge for most radiologists based only on morphological information. The value of DWI or DCE curves for discriminating malignant lesions from benign lesions was controversial. We estabished and compared the ADC model (ADC+morphology) and the TIC (TIC+morphology) for detecting malignancy with a relatively large sample size of NME lesions. We found that the TIC model was superior than the ADC model for differentiating between benign and malignant NME lesions. A whole DCE-MRI scan for NMEs is recommended without the need to acquire additional DWI data.
Imaging Microstructural Parameters of Breast Tumor in Patient Using Temporal Diffusion Spectroscopy
Authors: Peng Shuyi , Sun Peng , Wu Zhigang , Yang Fan
Published: August 2024

This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of temporal diffusion spectroscopy (the IMPULSED technique) for breast imaging. The result shows that the diffusion MRI–based microstructural mapping can evaluate the cell size in breast tumors and may demonstrate pathologic findings promise for characterizing breast cancer.
A Comparison of High-Resolution Simultaneous Multi-Slice Accelerated Turbo Spin-Echo Knee Imaging with Routine Turbo Spin-Echo Imaging
Authors: Xue Yanping , Wang Li , Gu Hua , Zhang Jiyang , Zhang Chen , Jia Xiuqin , Yang Qi
Published: August 2024

MRI has been widely used in the early detection of osteoarthritis (OA), especially in knee, as an important technique. However, the long acquisition time of MRI is a barrier in improving the quality of imaging and the comfort of patients, especially for pediatric and disabled people. Many imaging acceleration factors have been implied in order to improve the condition. This study focuses on the clinical application of simultaneous multi-slice (SMS) imaging, a newly developed acceleration technique using multi-band RF pulses, which can simultaneously excite, acquire, and reconstruct multiple slices and readout with two-dimensional images.
A preliminary analysis for vertebral marrow fat and disc herniation or annular tear by simultaneous multi-relaxation-time Imaging (TXI) method
Authors: Han Limei , Yang Jie , Ming Zhiqiang , Feng Hao , Huang Yantao , Wu Hengping , Yuan Chao , Guo Huan , Chen Meining , Zhong Jianquan
Published: August 2024

Recently T1 mapping, T2* mapping and bone marrow fat fraction (BMFF) has been separately applied to spine. But it hasn't studied the value of those mappings together with intervertebral discs (IVD) degeneration. In this study, we obtained three values (T1, T2* and BMFF value) by simultaneous multi-relaxation-time imaging technique, called TXI. We found that T1 values in abnormal (herniation or annular tear) disc were significantly lower than those in the normal. This study demonstrates that T1 mapping can be helpful in detecting IVD with herniation or annular tear.
High Heterogeneity of White Matter Observed with Short TE Magnetic Resonance Elastography
Authors: Patz Samuel , Hoge W. , Deng Bin , O'Donnell Lauren , Zhang Fan , Tie Yanmei , Tinney Emma , Sinkus Ralph , Breedlove Katherine
Published: August 2024

Prior MRE work in the brain has utilized long TE pulse sequences (spiral and EPI) and therefore has necessarily not observed the signal from short T2 components. In particular, the signal from water compartmentalized in myelin membranes and that is a sensitive measure of white matter structural integrity, has been missed. Here we demonstrate high heterogeneity of the shear stiffness within the superficial white matter when utilizing MRE sequences with a short (10ms) TE.
Serial Acquisition of radiofrequency pulse MOdes (SAMO) for correction of transmit field inhomogeneities in ultra high field (7T) diffusion MRI.
Authors: Moffat Bradford , Williams Robert , Glarin Rebecca , Thai Braden , Ponsford Jennie , Rowe Christopher
Published: August 2024

This study presents a simple and robust correction of B1+ inhomogeneities in high resolution multi-shell DWI at 7T.
The value of MR diffusion tensor imaging in assessing white matter changes in short-term methamphetamine withdrawal
Authors: Du Yanyao , Yang Wenhan , Huang Sihong , Tang Fei , Zhao Wei , Guo Hu , Zhang Huiting , Liu Jun
Published: August 2024

This study aimed to explore the changes of brain white matter changes in short-term methamphetamine (MA) abstinence and to investigate potential imaging markers. Compared with healthy controls (HC), fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diffusivty (AD) and mean diffusivity (MD) values in short-term abstinence group were all increased, but there was no significant difference in the radial diffusivty value. The changes of FA, AD and MD value may be a new biomarker which is helpful to explore the potential mechanism of neurotoxicity damage.
Myelin quantification: is it possible to obtain comparable g-ratio maps from different acquisition techniques?
Authors: Gaviraghi Marta , Lupi Eleonora , Rancati Simone , Palesi Fulvia , Grussu Francesco , Battiston Marco , Tur Carmen , Calvi Alberto , Collorone Sara , Ricciardi Antonio , Prados Ferran , Kanber Baris , D'Angelo Egidio , Samson Rebecca , Wheeler-Kingshott Claudia Gandini
Published: August 2024

Quantifying myelin in vivo with MRI is useful for studying multiple sclerosis by calculating the g-ratio. To estimate the g-ratio, special sequences often must be set. We have developed a preliminary method for calculating g-ratio from clinical images i.e. T1w and T2w. We then compared three methods to obtain the g-ratio: from quantitative Magnetization Transfer (qMT) (gold standard), from Macromolecular Tissue Volume (MTV) and from T1w/T2w. The MTV (g_MTV) and T1w/T2w (g_T1wT2w) g-ratios were different from the qMT g-ratio (g_qMT). g_MTV flattens differences between healthy and pathological subjects whereas g_T1wT2w has the same median trend as g_qMT.
Ultra-High Resolution QSM of the Brain Iron Metabolism in the Cognitively Declined Adults at 7T MRI
Authors: Alipour Akbar , Ozbay Pinar , Alqadi Ameen , Langan Mackenzie , Kurt Mehmet , Hedden Trey , Delman Bradley , Balchandani Priti
Published: August 2024

Detection of iron aggregations associated with beta-amyloid in Alzheimer’s disease would help to understand the related pathophysiology in these cohorts. Aggregations of iron associated beta-amyloid should increase electron density and induce notable changes in local susceptibility value. With higher susceptibility at ultra-high field strengths, induced iron susceptibility is large enough to generate contrast relative to surrounding normal tissues that can be visualized by quantitative susceptibility techniques at 7 Tesla MRI. In this study, we used 7T MRI to analyze the iron-related pathologic markers in Alzheimer patients using the quantitative susceptibility mapping technique.
4D flow MRI reveals cerebrovascular changes in early Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Elsayed Ayah , Melzer Tracy , Tippett Lynette , Morgan Catherine
Published: August 2024

Currently 50 million people suffer from Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, yet treatment options are limited. A growing focus on the contribution of cerebrovascular (CV) health presents new possible targets for treatment. We investigated novel CV imaging markers using 4D flow MRI in a total of 43 participants with mild cognitive impairment, early AD and controls. Both the MCI and AD group had significantly reduced mean blood flow in the larger vessels of the Circle of Willis. A significantly increased pulsatility index (indicative of poorer vessel compliance) was found in the AD group compared to controls.
Comparison of chi-separation and chi-separation*: A clinical feasibility study
Authors: Jang Jinhee , Shin Hyeong-Geol , Kim Minjun , Lee Hyebin , Kim Woojun
Published: August 2024

While χ-separation gives unique and valuable information, requirement of R2 limited its clinical application. This study assessed the clinical feasibility of two R2*-based magnetic source separation. From 24 MR scans of MS subjects, four sets of magnetic source separation maps were generated; (1) χ-separation (originally proposed method), (2) χ-separation* (exploiting R2*), (3) χ-sepnet (DL-based), and (4) χ-sepnet* (DL-based, utilizing R2*). χ-separation* and χ-sepnet* showed good agreement to χ-separation and χ-sepnet in MS lesions and the brain. However, there are small but consistent biases in each method, which are important caveats for R2*-based χ-separation. These biases were relatively smaller in χ-sepnet*.
Z-score maps to characterize spinal cord lesions in MS patients: Toward a semi-automated lesion identification/segmentation method
Authors: Mchinda Samira , Le Troter Arnaud , Demortière Sarah , Medina Nilser Laines , PINI Lauriane , Pelletier Jean , Audoin Bertrand , Callot Virginie
Published: August 2024

Manual segmentation, considered as ground truth, remains time consuming and operator dependent. In this work, a strategy to identify and potentially segment individual cervical spinal cord lesions based on z-score maps(ZM) from 3T quantitative T1-MP2RAGE(T1q) imaging is proposed. All manually segmented lesions could be visually identified in ZM with a lower threshold(LT) of 2. Conversely, Sixty-nine% of the lesions could be isolated automatically using LT=3 and analyzing the characteristics of the ZM clusters in combination with ZM gradient maps. Four patients (/4) without lesions, and 21/23 controls showed no significant cluster.
Lesional and non-lesional cortical integrity in cognitive networks are linked to cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis.
Authors: Krijnen Eva , Bajrami Albulena , Broeders Tommy , Noteboom Samantha , Bouman Piet , Barkhof Frederik , Uitdehaag Bernard , Klawiter Eric , Koubiyr Ismail , Schoonheim Menno
Published: August 2024

Cognitive functioning in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is strongly related to cortical lesions (CLs), although the severity of demyelination remains difficult to assess in-vivo. In addition, how the pathological microstructural changes in normal-appearing gray matter relate to cognition also remains unclear. This study assessed how microstructural integrity (based on diffusion MRI) in CLs and normal-appearing cortex relates to cognition in MS. Microstructural integrity changes were most evident in cognitively-impaired MS, especially in the normal-appearing cortex. Regionally, damage was especially related to cognition within cognitive functional networks such as the ventral attention network.
Feasibility of ultra-fast, high-resolution, T2*-weighted brain imaging using 3D echo-planar imaging and CAIPIRINHA
Authors: Nair Sreekanth Madhusoodhanan , Jin Jin , Han Fei , Renner Brian , Gombos Elaina , Liu Ke , Patil Sunil , Derbyshire John , Sakaie Ken , Obusez Emmanuel , Lee Jonathan , Elliott Mark , Shinohara Russell , Schindler Matthew , Song Jae , Bilello Michel , Kaisey Marwa , Al-Louzi Omar , Binesh Nader , Maya Marcel , Galvan Javier , Han Hui , Li Debiao , Solomon Andrew , Reich Daniel , Sicotte Nancy , Lowe Mark , Ontaneda Daniel , Sati Pascal
Published: August 2024

High-resolution T2*-weighted brain imaging using 3D echo planar imaging (3D-EPI) at 3T allows detection of new biomarkers of neurological disorders, such as the central vein sign in multiple sclerosis. However, current 3D-EPI scan times are suboptimal for a widespread implementation in hospitals and private imaging centers. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of combining 3D-EPI acquisition with different CAIPIRINHA undersampling patterns. A significant reduction in scan time (up to 70% reduction) was achieved without any obvious aliasing artifacts, confirming the feasibility of ultra-fast, high-resolution T2* brain imaging for future clinical applications at 3T.
Assessment of multiple sclerosis pathology with quantitative magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Schlaeger Sarah , Mühlau Mark , Gilbert Guillaume , Vavasour Irene , Amthor Thomas , Doneva Mariya , Menegaux Aurore , Lauerer Markus , Pongratz Viola , Zimmer Claus , Wiestler Benedikt , Preibisch Christine , Kirschke Jan , Berg Ronja
Published: August 2024

Quantitative MRI in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) allows for the objective identification of even subtle pathological changes in lesional, perilesional, NAGM, and NAWM tissue. Routine clinical scan protocols need to be tailored to the most diagnostically relevant MR biomarkers, however, to date only a few studies have investigated the particular diagnostic sensitivity of different MR biomarkers to different structural alterations of brain tissue affected by MS. Therefore, we studied 13 MS patients and 14 healthy controls using multiparametric, quantitative MR: we evaluated and compared the ability of nine different MR biomarkers to detect and characterize MS pathology.
Altered resting-state connectivity in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients late stage post-radiotherapy: an Independent Component Analysis
Authors: Song Xiaohan , Wang Lijun
Published: August 2024

Radiotherapy is the primary treatment modality for patients with Nasopharyngeal carcinoma. However, radiotherapy in the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma will also cause neurocognitive impairment. Previous studies mostly focused on the changes of brain structure in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma caused by radiotherapy, but it was reported that there were changes in brain network connectivity before the brain structure was abnormal. So, the purpose of thestudy was to investigate network-level functional connectivity alternations late stage post radiation therapy in Nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients using independent component analysis of rs-fMRI.
New System, New Approach: Fasten up transfer function validation measurements, prove of concept
Authors: Ketelsen Finya , Schaefers Gregor
Published: August 2024

The novel open 64 MHz linear exposure system offers new possibilities for the test process of active implants for RF-induced heating as a safety issue. This study proves the concept, that the measurements for the validation process of the transfer function, which models the electric behavior of an active implant, could be accelerated from hours of precise work to minutes without any rearranging. Because the system is open, there is significantly more space than in a birdcage coil and the object and measuring probe can be mounted to a movement system, that can access the whole phantom.
RF exposure of patient assistants at a low-field open MRI system
Authors: Oh Sukhoon , Hong Seon-Eui , Choi Hyung-Do , Chang Dongwoo , Kim Kiseong , Kim Sangwoo
Published: August 2024

Numerical investigations on the safety of patient assistants exposed to a 1.2T open MRI are performed at different poses of patient assistants (including wearing latex gloves), because current regulations are concerned with only patient RF safety. Compared with the patient, up to 29.8% of the patient 10-gram SAR was observed in the patient assistant. To prevent possible RF hazards of a patient assistant during MRI scans, certain clauses regarding the patient assistant’s poses or wearing gloves must be added to the existing MRI screening forms.
Denoising single and multi-delay 3D pCASL using SWIN Transformer
Authors: Shou Qinyang , Zhao Chenyang , Shao Xingfeng , Wang Danny
Published: August 2024

We developed a Transformer-based deep learning denoising model to improve the SNR for both single and multi-delay perfusion images acquired using 3D pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL). This method can significantly improve SNR (~2-fold) of the perfusion images without introducing bias for CBF and ATT quantification for both single-delay and multi-delay 3D pCASL. Further training and testing of this model on clinical datasets acquired on different vendor platforms is warranted.
Subject-Specific Circular Artifacts in ASL Perfusion Imaging with 3D Stack-of-Spirals FSE Readout
Authors: Hu Yichen , Hu Junpu , Zhang Zhongqi , Liu Hui , Liu Qi , Ye Yongquan , Xu Jian
Published: August 2024

In perfusion images of ASL scans of brain, artifacts originated from unlabeled blood inflow can be effectively suppressed by inferior saturation. In our study with spiral-based readout, artifacts in the patterns of bright spots and concentric rings were determined to arise from arterial blood inflow. We discovered that the emergence of the artifacts is directly related to the carotid artery anatomies of human subjects. The artifacts appeared persistently for just one out of four participating volunteers. The application of inferior saturation should be favored to avoid such artifacts, which had been a fact not fully recognized from recent ASL studies.
Accelerated Brain ASL using 3D Gradient and Spin-Echo pseudo-Continuous ASL (GraSE-pCASL) with Compressed SENSE.
Authors: Hamatani Yutaka , Abe Kayoko , Yoneyama Masami , Peeters Johannes M , van de Ven Kim , Nagao Michinobu , Goto Yasuhiro , Shiina Isao , Kodaira Kazuo , Ogawa Takumi , Kato Mana , Sakai Shuji
Published: August 2024

In this study, 3D GraSE-pCASL was combined with Compressed SENSE (CS) to accelerate the acquisition time of perfusion images. The results showed that accelerated 3D CS-GraSE-pCASL could provide sufficient perfusion information in half the acquisition time compared to the conventional method. This technique may be useful in the diagnosis of cerebral blood flow disorders especially for pediatric patients and/or patients with cognitive impairments.
Navigator-based slice tracking for liver pCASL using spin-echo EPI acquisition
Authors: Zhang Ke , Triphan Simon , Sedlaczek Oliver , Ziener Christian , Kauczor Hans-Ulrich , Schlemmer Heinz-Peter , Kurz Felix
Published: August 2024

Liver perfusion is an important physiological parameter in health and disease (1,2). In the measurement of liver perfusion using arterial spin labelling (ASL), respiratory motion is a major challenge. In this study, respiratory motion information is acquired from a projection signal and used to adjust the position of the excited slice in real time. The feasibility of free-breathing multi-slice liver perfusion imaging using spin-echo EPI based pseudo-continuous ASL (pCASL) with navigator-based slice tracking method is investigated.
Combined Parkinson’s Disease Related Patterns using ASL MRI and FDG PET
Authors: Zeng Yu , Ju Zizhao , Dai Weiying , Zhang Yong , Alsop David , Zuo Chuantao , Zhao Li
Published: August 2024

Parkinson's disease-related patterns (PDRPs) of metabolism and perfusion have been reported to reflect brain abnormalities in Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, differences between the glucose metabolism PDRP derived using FDG-PET and the perfusion PDRP derived using ASL have not been compared directly in the same patient cohort. In this work, PDRPs were compared using PET and ASL images of 43 PD patients and 28 health controls using Scaled Subprofile Model analysis. In addition, a new method was proposed to build a multi-modality pattern. Our primary results showed that combined metabolism-perfusion PDRP resulted in superior accuracy than ASL- and PET-derived PDRP alone.
3D Artificial Cerebral Blood Volume Generation from T1W Structural MRI
Authors: Rao Vishwanatha , Small Scott , Guo Jia
Published: August 2024

While gadolinium-based contrast agents are necessary to generate a quantitative mapping of brain metabolism, they are invasive with unclear long-term side-effects. As such, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been explored as a method to generate artificial cerebral blood volume (aCBV) maps from T1W structural MRI scans. However, prior implementations process MRI in 2D slices, severely limiting output resolution, production time, and utility. In this study, we propose a 3D CNN-Transformer hybrid aCBV generation tool that outperforms both 2D and 3D implementations of the prior state-of-the-art model (PSNR: 29.46, P.R.: 0.836, SSIM: 0.875, S.R.: 0.681).
MRI evidence for reduced human brain oxygen metabolism during midazolam sedation
Authors: Chandler Hannah , Driver Ian , Khot Sharmila , Auer Zoltán , Varanasi Murthy , Saxena Neeraj , Germuska Michael , Wise Richard
Published: August 2024

We investigated the effects of mild sedation with the type A GABA receptor positive allosteric modulator (GABAA-R PAM) midazolam, on cerebral blood flow (CBF), oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) and the rate of cerebral metabolic oxygen consumption (CMRO2) in the healthy human brain using ASL and TRUST MRI. CMRO2 was significantly reduced during sedation compared to wakefulness but no statistically significant change in CBF or OEF was detected. Our data are consistent with prior imaging evidence of reduced brain energy consumption during sedation with midazolam.
DC-Swin: Deep Cascade of Swin Transformer with Sensitivity Map for Parallel MRI Reconstruction
Authors: Fujita Naoto , Terada Yasuhiko
Published: August 2024

Deep learning (DL) reconstruction networks are predominantly architectures that unroll traditional iterative algorithms and tend to perform better than non-unrolled models. Both types of models use convolutional neural networks (CNNs) as building blocks, but CNNs have the disadvantage of focusing on local relationships in the image. To overcome this, hybrid models have been proposed that combine CNNs with Transformers that focus on long-range dependencies. However, these hybrid transformers have been limited to non-unrolled reconstruction networks. Here, we propose an unrolled reconstruction network using a hybrid Transformer, Deep Cascade of Swin Transformer (DC-Swin), and verify that DC-Swin has high performance.
Greedy Learning for Memory-Efficient Self-Supervised MRI Reconstruction
Authors: Gupta Arushi , Ozturkler Batu , Sahiner Arda , Ergen Tolga , Desai Arjun , Vasanawala Shreyas , Pauly John , Mardani Morteza , Pilanci Mert
Published: August 2024

Deep learning (DL) has recently shown state-of-the-art performance for accelerated MRI reconstruction. However, supervised learning requires fully-sampled training data, and training these networks with end-to-end backpropagation requires significant memory for high-dimensional imaging. These challenges limit the use of DL in high-dimensional settings where access to fully-sampled data is unavailable. Here, we propose self-supervised greedy learning for memory-efficient MRI reconstruction without fully-sampled data. The method divides the end-to-end network into smaller network modules and independently calculates a self-supervised loss for each subnetwork. The proposed method generalizes as well as end-to-end learning without fully-sampled data with at least 7x less memory usage.
Improving variational network based 2D MRI reconstruction via feature-space data consistency
Authors: Giannakopoulos Ilias , Johnson Patricia , Lattanzi Riccardo , Muckley Matthew
Published: August 2024

Deep learning (DL) methods have enabled state-of-the-art reconstructions of magnetic resonance images of highly undersampled acquisitions. The end-to-end variational network (E2E VarNet) is a DL method that can output high quality reconstructions through an unrolled gradient descent algorithm. Nevertheless, the network discards a lot of high-level feature representations of the image to perform data consistency in the image space. Here, we adapted the E2E VarNet architecture to perform the data consistency in a feature space. We trained the proposed network using the fastMRI brain dataset and observed 0.0013 SSIM improvement for eight-fold accelerations.
Acquisition Adaptive Unrolled Deep Learning Framework for Parallel MRI
Authors: Pramanik Aniket , Bhave Sampada , Sajib Saurav , Sharma Samir , Jacob Mathews
Published: August 2024

Model-based Deep Unrolled Networks offer high quality reconstructions but the performance degrades if any mismatch occurs in acquisition settings. Different networks for different acquisition settings require extensive training data, in addition to making the clinical deployment difficult. We propose a single unrolled deep-learning algorithm called as Ada-MoDL, whose parameters are conditioned on the acquisition information (metadata) of a dataset, using a Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) that maps the metadata to network parameters. Ada-MoDL outperforms models trained for a specific acquisition setting or a single model trained with all the available contrasts, when the training data in each acquisition setting is limited.
Recovery with self-calibrated denoisers from multiple undersampled images (ReSiDe-M)
Authors: Liu Sizhuo , Schniter Philip , Ahmad Rizwan
Published: August 2024

Recovery with a self-calibrated denoiser (ReSiDe) is an unsupervised learning method based on the plug-and-play (PnP) framework. In ReSiDe, denoiser training and a call to the denoising subroutine are performed in each iteration of PnP. However, ReSiDe is computationally slow, and its performance is sensitive to the noise level selected to train the denoiser. Here, we extend ReSiDe from single-image to multi-image recovery (ReSiDe-M), improving both performance and computation speed. We also propose an auto-tuning method to select the noise level for denoiser training. Using data from fastMRI and MRXCAT perfusion phantom, we compare ReSiDe-M with other unsupervised methods.
Through-plane Super-resolution of Prostate MRI Using Diffusion Models
Authors: Zhao Kai , Lin Jiahao , Sung Kyung Hyun
Published: August 2024

We proposed a generative models-based method for through-plane super-resolution of multi-slice MRI scans. We proposed a novel slice-profile transformation that synthesizes low/high through-plane resolution slices for model training without accessing to isotropic datasets. Expert ready study, visual and quantitative comparisons reveal our method produce superior super-resolution results in terms of sharpness, artifacts, noise level and overall image quality.
Deep learning improves the estimation of fiber orientation distribution for tractography in the human
Authors: Liang Zifei , Filipiak Patryk , Baete Steven , Ge Yulin , Ying Leslie , Zhang Jiangyang
Published: August 2024

Although diffusion MRI (dMRI) tractography can map brain connectivity non-invasively, accurate tractography in the human brain remains challenging due to inherent and technical limitations. In this study, we demonstrate a deep learning (DL) based approach for improving the estimation of fiber orientation distribution (FOD) from dMRI data. Trained with augmented whole brain tractography results from high-resolution dMRI data, the DL approach outperformed conventional FOD estimation methods in crossing fiber regions with dMRI data at spatial and angular resolutions comparable to routine clinical scans. The approach can potentially shorten the dMRI acquisition necessary for accurate tractography and connectome analysis.
The effects of brain diffusion MRI preprocessing pipelines in a clinical study of neurodegenerative disease
Authors: Kamiya Kouhei , Hanashiro Sayori , Kano Osamu , Kamagata Koji , Hori Masaaki , Aoki Shigeki
Published: August 2024

The impacts of different diffusion MRI preprocessing pipelines on the statistical results of clinical studies were investigated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The results illustrate the influences of popular preprocessing tools on the effect size of the disease in DKI metrics.
Comparison of Image Quality Improvement between Women’s Pelvic DWI with and without Reverse Encoding Distortion Correction at a 1.5 T MR System
Authors: Ueda Takahiro , Ohno Yoshiharu , Yamamoto Kaori , Yazawa Natsuka , Tozawa Ikki , Takeda Kazuya , Fukuba Takashi , Ikedo Masato , Yui Masao , Nagata Hiroyuki , Toyama Hiroshi
Published: August 2024

We hypothesized that RDC is able to improve image quality on DWI with b value with reducing distortion artifact in women’s pelvic field, when compared DWI without RDC. The purpose of this study was to determine the capability for image quality improvements between women’s pelvic DWI with and without RDC at a 1.5 T MR system.
Changes of uterine morphology and endometrial T2 signal intensity in endometrial fibrosis
Authors: Zhou Nan , Chen Weibo , Zhou Zhengyang
Published: August 2024

Uterine morphology and endometrial T2 signal intensity can evaluate endometrial fibrosis
Diffusion kurtosis and intravoxel incoherent motion in predicting postpartum hemorrhage in patients at high risk for PAS disorders
Authors: Lu Tao
Published: August 2024

PAS is commonly associated with postpartum hemorrhage. DKI and IVIM were used to evaluate the placenta. The amount of bleeding during delivery was positively correlated with D, D*, f, and MD, but negatively correlated with MK.D and D* were significantly higher while MK was significantly lower in patients with PPH. A combination of placenta previa and D can be used to predict PPH in patients at high risk for PAS disorders
MRI Based Differential Analysis of Levator Ani Hiatus Area in Healthy Women at Different Ages ：A Retrospective Study
Authors: He Xiaoyi , Sun Hengcui , Guo Yiting , Dou Weiqiang , Pylypenko Dmytro , Xu Xinghua , Yu Dexin , Wang Qing , Wang Fang
Published: August 2024

This study aimed to investigate the correlation between hiatus area and age in healthy women. 552 female subjects, divided into four groups (young, young-middle, middle, middle-elderly) based on age, were selected to underwent pelvic T2-weighted MRI for measuring hiatus area. Age showed a positive correlation with hiatus area. Also, statistically significant difference in hiatus areas was found between any two groups, except for between young-middle and middle group, and between middle and middle-elderly group. We thus proved that hiatus area of healthy women increases with age, which might serve as a reference standard in clinic.
O-RADS Classification Performance for Differentiating Benign and Malignant Lesions and Try to Optimize its Usage
Authors: yilin wang , yan Chen , xiaojuan Xu
Published: August 2024

The newly launched O-RADS scoring system was developed to address the qualitative problem of pelvic masses. However, the use of the O-RADS system in different regional populations still needs to be further verified. And the applicability of the 0-RADS scoring system for doctors of different seniority remains to be studied.
Towards Metabolic Brain Imaging with Glucosamine CEST MRI: In Vivo Characterization and First Insights
Authors: Rivlin Michal , Perlman Or , Navon Gil
Published: August 2024

The uptake of glucosamine (GlcN), a non-toxic food supplement, can be monitored by CEST MRI. While previously demonstrated in breast cancer, here we show that GlcN metabolism can be detected in the brain. Following GlcN administration in mice, the MTRasym signals were significantly elevated in the cortex, hippocampus, and striatum. A Lorentzian multi-pool fitting pointed to a significant increase in the hydroxyl, amide, and rNOE signals. An in vitro BSA study confirmed the interactions between brain compounds and GlcN shown in vivo. This study suggests that GlcN CEST has the potential to serve as a metabolic biomarker in brain disorders.
Joint Model-Based Optimization of Sampling Pattern and Reconstruction for Human Brian CEST MRI at 3T
Authors: Liu Chuyu , Li Zhongsen , Song Xiaolei
Published: August 2024

Here we introduced a model-based deep learning approach which enabled joint optimization of both sampling and reconstruction for CEST MRI. The main purpose is to investigate an efficient undersampling pattern for CEST acceleration. Retrospective results (4X) showed that the proposed workflow is capable of leveraging redundancy information from optimized sampling pattern, further reconstructing gold-standard-consistent contrast maps.
Prospective acceleration of whole-brain chemical exchange saturation transfer by Joint K-space and Image-space Parallel Imaging (KIPI)
Authors: Zu Tao , Dai Zhechuan , Yong Xingwang , Jiang Tongling , Zhang Yi
Published: August 2024

The clinical use of chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging is limited by its relatively long scan time due to the measurements of multiple frames at the same location, especially for 3D whole-brain imaging. In this study, the recently proposed reconstruction method by joint K-space and Image-space Parallel Imaging (KIPI) is utilized for prospectively accelerating 3D CEST imaging. Prospective KIPI allows an acceleration factor of up to 8-fold for acquiring source images, reducing the scan time to 5.5 min for the whole-brain quantitative CEST imaging, with 17 saturation frames and 2.9 mm isotropic resolution.
Impaired permeability in the choroid plexus in a tauopathy mouse model – a pilot study
Authors: Bian Yuhan , Wang Ning , Cao Di , Sun Yuanqi , Gu Chunming , Li Yinghao , Zhang Jiangyang , Van Zijl Peter , Mao Xiaobo , Hua Jun
Published: August 2024

The choroid plexus (CP) is a gateway for the exchange of various metabolites between the microvasculature and brain. Impairment of CP has been reported in various diseases. Recently, dynamic-susceptibility-contrast-in-the-CSF (cDSC) MRI was developed to measure Gd-induced signal changes in the CSF. Here, cDSC MRI was performed with Intraperitoneal Gd-injection in a tauopathy mouse model to examine CP permeability. The maximal Gd-induced signal change was greater in the ventricles in tau mice than WT mice, indicating an increase of Gd leakage from the microvasculature into the ventricles through the CP.
The Application Value of DWI in Differentiating Mega Cisterna Magna from Cisterna Magna Arachnoid Cyst
Authors: Junying Wang , Dmytro Pylypenko , Hao Shi
Published: August 2024

The differences between TAC, MCM and CMAC were measured respectively. For TAC and CMAC groups, both ADC and eADC value showed no statistical difference. There was a statistically significant difference in eADC between TAC and MCM, but no significant difference in ADC.
Assessment of CSF pulsatility in the fourth ventricle using EPI phase contrast and fMRI sequences.
Authors: RUIZ-CHIAPELLO Adrian , MESCAM Muriel , VAYSSIERE Nathalie , BERRY Isabelle , BOUSTANI Florence REMY-EL
Published: August 2024

Papers have shown a correlation between CSF flow in the fourth ventricle (V4) and EEG, and also that the low-frequency components (LFC) of EEG were positively correlated with glymphatic system (GS) activity. Analysis of the LFC of CSF flow could be a biomarker of GS degradation. We assessed 6 individuals by using an EPI phase contrast sequence to quantify the time evolution of CSF velocity in V4, and a fMRI sequence with which we exploited the inflow effect phenomenon. EPI-PC highlights the frequencies of physiological phenomena involved in CSF motion, and allows us to quantify LFC, indicative of GS efficiency.
Extracellular Volume Change in the Human Brain During Sleep: Monitored by MRI-Compatible EEG and Measured by Sodium MRI
Authors: Chen Xingye , Lin Ying-Chia , Henin Simon , Kumbella Nahbila-Malikha , Aguilera Liz , Rockowitz Zena , Clayton Ashley , Chen Shichun , Dai Weiying , Babb James , Ge Yulin , Masurkar Arjun , Lui Yvonne , Boada Fernando , Liu Anli , Qian Yongxian
Published: August 2024

Sleep is reported in mince studies to increase extracellular space and improve CSF clearance of amyloid beta proteins from the animal brains. However, it is unclear whether sleep also benefits humans. This study used simultaneous MRI-compatible EEG to monitor sleep stage of human study subjects and used sodium MRI to quantify extracellular volume fraction. We seek to find the association between sleep stage and extracellular volume change in the human brain.
Hierarchical clustering analysis reveals size-dependent transport pathways of cerebrospinal fluid tracer in mouse brain
Authors: Zhu Yuran , Wang Guanhua , Gu Yuning , Gao Huiyun , Zhang Jing , Wang Yunmei , Zhu Xiaofeng , Flask Chris , Yu Xin
Published: August 2024

This study investigated the impact of molecular size on transport kinetics and distribution of intracisternal tracers in mouse brain. Three MRI contrast agents with different molecular sizes were administered via cisterna magna. Their transport in the whole brain was observed by dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI for 2 hours. Our results show that the transport of 17O-water (H217O) was significantly faster and more extensive than the two gadolinium-based tracers (Gd-DTPA and GadoSpin). Time-lagged correlation analysis and clustering analysis also showed different cluster patterns between Gd-DTPA and H217O. These observations suggest the size-dependent differences in forces that drive tracer transport in the brain.
Evidence of diffusion tensor imaging measures of white matter microstructure changes within six months after stroke
Authors: Poirier Stefan , Thiessen Jonathan , Khaw Alexander , Anazodo Udunna
Published: August 2024

White matter (WM) damage is associated with post-stroke cognitive impairment. In this study, we used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate changes in WM microstructure in patients within 6-months following stroke. Quantitative DTI measurements were compared in patients at 6-months relative to 4-weeks post-stroke. DTI showed signs of reduced WM integrity in several WM tracts, including rostrum of corpus callosum and superior longitudinal fasciculus III in patients 6-months post-stroke. In elderly adults, WM microstructure can be disrupted following ischemic stroke. These findings motivate larger population stroke studies using advanced diffusion MRI techniques to further assess WM structure in stroke patients.
Vendor-neutrality and upgrade immunity: Post-upgrade assessment of vendor-neutral qMRI from two perspectives
Authors: Karakuzu Agah , Samson Paule , Stikov Nikola
Published: August 2024

We scanned the ISMRM/NIST system phantom and one healthy participant to compare vendor-neutral and vendor-native T1, MTR and MTsat maps pre- and post-upgrade. Our findings indicate a systematic T1 bias in the phantom (up to 18.5%) that is linked to post-upgrade prescan calibrations. In-vivo, MTR remains stable, whereas the T1 bias (up to 9%) affects MTsat more. On the other hand, end-to-end consistency of the vendor-neutral workflow is immune against the software upgrade (e.g., data was consistently exported in the BIDS format). To disentangle the effect of upgrades on longitudinal stability, qMRI would benefit from transparent vendor-neutral prescan calibrations.
White matter tract integrity metrics sensitive to white matter microstructural changes and cognitive performance in type 2 diabetic patients
Authors: Gao Jie , Zhang Dongsheng , Yan Xuejiao , Tang Min , Zhang Xin , Ai Kai , Lei Xiaoyan , Zhang Xiaoling
Published: August 2024

This study aims to use white matter tract integrity (WMTI) model based on DKI to explore white matter alternations in T2DM. DTI and WMTI metrics were compared between 73 T2DM patients and 57 HCs. The widespread increased extra-axonal diffusivity with limited increased intra-axonal diffusivity in T2DM reflected different degrees of axonal edema, vasogenic edema and/or demyelination. De,⊥ (radial extra-axonal diffusivity) was demonstrated to be the most sensitive parameter in detecting the white matter microstructural changes. De,⊥ in genu of the corpus callosum was correlated with attention performance, which is expected to be a imaging marker reflecting cognitive impairment in T2DM.
A step forward to improve large numerical phantoms at the microstructure level using CACTUS
Authors: Haro Juan Villarreal , Gardier Remy , Canales-Rodríguez Erick , Girard Gabriel , Thiran Jean-Philippe , Patino Jonathan
Published: August 2024

Inferring microscopic tissue properties from the measured signal is one of the main objectives of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. The use of Monte-Carlo Simulations for DW-MRI on realistic substrates will help the study of DWI-MRI signals in controlled environments and investigate, extract, and validate approaches for the understanding of white matter features. This work provides a unique framework for building complex white matter phantoms with novel properties, such as 1) substrates with a high packing density of 95% intra-axonal volume percentage and substrate sizes of (500 um)3, 2) Create, generalise, extend, and preexisting phantom configurations used by other studies.
Abnormal functional connectivity between white and gray matter is associated with hearing loss and cognitive dysfunction in presbycusis
Authors: Wang Yao , Gao Yuting , Han Yu , Li Xiao , Wang Fengyi , Ren Fuxin , Chen Weibo , Li Muwei , Gao Fei
Published: August 2024

Presbycusis is characterized by high-frequency hearing loss and is closely related to cognitive decline. In this study, we aimed to explore the connectivity changes of WM and GM in the brains of presbycusis patients and their relationship with cognitive impairment and hearing loss. The results of this study indicated that the functional connectivity of WM and GM was abnormal in presbycusis patients, mainly in the PLIC, BCC, STG, par opercularis, etc. These changes might be associated with auditory processing and cognitive compensation. This study may provide new insights into the underlying neural mechanisms between presbycusis and cognitive impairment.
White matter abnormalities in pediatric idiopathic growth hormone deficiency: A DTI study using TBSS analysis
Authors: Wu Liuhui , Qiu Huaqiong , Su Shu , Chen Yingxi , Qian Long , Yang Zhiyun
Published: August 2024

Idiopathic growth hormone deficiency (IGHD) is an important and unknown causes of pediatric short stature. Although grey matter morphological changes in the cerebral cortex of IGHD have been proved, the knowledge about white matter (WM) is poorly investigated. Whether the mental status of IGHD children is associated with WM abnormalities is unclear. In this study, 50 pediatric with IGHD and 48 age- and gender-matched typically developing (TD) children included for TBSS analysis. Our results indicated that IGHD children showed the WM abnormalities (especially in bilateral posterior corona radiata), which are correlated with behavioral and mental problems.
Increased Local Specialization of Structural Networks Revealed by Probabilistic Diffusion Tractography in Cerebral Small Vessel Disease
Authors: Feng Mengmeng , Hongwei Wen , Haotian Xin , Wang Shengpei , Sui Chaofan , Gao Yian , Liang Changhu , Guo Lingfei
Published: August 2024

We used probabilistic diffusion tractography and graph theory based on DTI to investigate the topologic organization of white matter (WM) structural networks in 54 patients with severe CSVD burden (CSVD-s), 117 patients with mild CSVD burden (CSVD-m) and 73 healthy controls. Compared with CSVD-m patients and controls, CSVD-s patients exhibited significantly increased local efficiency, normalized clustering coefficient and small world index, with partially reorganized hub distributions. In addition, the CSVD-s patients showed significantly increased nodal efficiency in some brain regions. Intriguingly, the significant correlation between node efficiency and cognitive parameters existed in CSVD-m and control groups.
Comparison of High-Frequency Conductivity in the Brains of Alzheimer’s Disease Patients and Cognitively Normal Elderly Controls
Authors: Jahng Geon-Ho , Park Soonchan , Jung Sue Min , Lee Mun Bae , Rhee Hak Young , Ryu Chang-Woo , Cho A- Rang , Kwon Oh In
Published: August 2024

The objective of this study was to investigate high-frequency conductivity (HFC) obtained using magnetic resonance electrical property tomography (MREPT) in participants with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and cognitively normal (CN) elderly controls. High-frequency conductivity (HFC) values in the brain are significantly increased in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients compared to cognitively normal (CN) elderly people, are negatively associated with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores, and therefore can be used as an imaging biomarker to improve the differentiation of AD from CN.
Comparison of diffusion kurtosis tensor imaging and multi-tissue CSD for the investigation of group differences in Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Giraldo Diana , Smith Robert , Struyfs Hanne , Niemantsverdriet Ellis , De Roeck Ellen , Engelborghs Sebastiaan , Romero Eduardo , Sijbers Jan , Jeurissen Ben
Published: August 2024

In this work, we compare the results of analyzing group differences in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) with two different models for multi-shell diffusion MRI: the Diffusion Kurtosis Tensor (DKT) and Multi-Tissue Constrained Spherical Deconvolution (MT-CSD). Separate analysis for DKT metrics and measures derived from MT-CSD were performed to investigate differences between control subjects and patients with mild cognitive impairment and dementia due to AD. Statistical analyses included strong family-wise error correction for multiple comparisons. Results indicate that analyses with MT-CSD capture the differences that are detectable with DKT while offering more specific details that facilitate the interpretation of those differences.
Spatial navigation reveals subcortical structural covariance and progression risk in subjective cognitive decline
Authors: Chen Qian , Zhang Bing
Published: August 2024

We aimed to investigate whether spatial navigation could reveal subcortical structural alterations and the risk of clinical progression in subjective cognitive decline (SCD). SCD subjects were divided into SCD-good (G-SCD) and SCD-bad (B-SCD) groups according to their navigation performance. The B-SCD group showed decreased volumes in the basal forebrain and had a larger shortest path length in the subcortical structural covariance network than the G-SCD group. Follow-up data suggested that the B-SCD group had a higher conversion rate to MCI than the G-SCD group. This study may provide new insights for the risk assessment and early intervention for SCD subjects.
MR-based Parenchymal CSF water fraction (CSFF) is a marker of glymphatic clearance function and relates to beta-amyloid deposition on 11C-PiB PET
Authors: Zhou Liangdong , Nguyen Thanh , Wang Xiuyuan , Chiang Gloria , Leon Mony , Li Yi
Published: August 2024

Glymphatic clearance has recently gained increasing attention as a major driver of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease. Perivascular spaces is believed to reflect glymphatic clearance such that enlargement of the PVS is believed to reflect blocked glymphatic clearance. We present preliminary work on a MR-based FAST-T2 CSF water fraction map to study glymphatic clearance. Our results show a quadratic relationship between CSFF and PiB PET SUVR in AD-specific regions. This indicates that CSFF could be a biomarker of dysfunctional glymphatic clearance, leading to early beta amyloid accumulation, since early on, CSFF increases without a significant change in PiB PET SUVR.
Reliable blood-brain barrier water exchange estimates in the rat brain using a crusher-compensated exchange rate (CCXR) model
Authors: Ohene Yolanda , Powell Elizabeth , Lasič Samo , Parker Geoff , Parkes Laura , Dickie Ben
Published: August 2024

Filter exchange imaging (FEXI) is a promising technique for measuring water exchange across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). However, the application of FEXI for the rodent brain requires thinner slices and therefore higher crusher gradients which lead to a progressive underestimation of the apparent exchange rate (AXR). Here, we implement a crusher-compensated exchange rate (CCXR) model which reduces the bias induced by the crusher gradients and allows more accurate estimates of BBB water exchange in the rat brain.
Combining HOSVD-based joint reconstruction with shifted acquisition sampling pattern enables liver DWI in a single breath-hold
Authors: Jiang Guohao , Hong Linzheng , Li Zhaopeng , Xie Jun
Published: August 2024

Fast liver DWI scan has significant clinical relevance, however, motion artifacts, long scan time and low SNR remain as major technical challenges for liver DWI. In this study, we proposed a joint recon method based on global and local high order tensor SVD (HOSVD), combining with shifted acquisition sampling pattern across diffusion directions. The proposed method improves DWI image quality and enables fast liver DWI scan within a single breath-hold.