Resection of a dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor in the precentral gyrus

Background:Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors(DNTs)are common causes of intractable epilepsy in pediatric epilepsy patients.The effect of surgical intervention is often limited when the tumor is located in the precentral gyrus.Furthermore,complete surgical resection is often not performed in order to avoid permanent neurological deficits.Methods:Here,we present a pediatric patient with intractable epilepsy caused by a simple DNT located in the precentral gyrus.Intracranial electrodes were implanted and used in combination with magnetic resonance imaging,video-electroencephalography and electrical cortical stimulation to assess neurological function,and where the epileptogenic zone was located.Results:The results of intracranial electrode monitoring suggested that the epileptogenic zone was located in the tumor area and that cortical function had been reorganized.We completely resected the tumor based on these findings.The patient has been seizure free after the surgery and has not had any neurological deficits.Conclusions:Simple form DNTs in the precentral gyrus can be completely resected with careful preoperative assessment of cortical function.Cortical reorganization could partly explain the functional preservation after surgery.

Increased activation of the caudate nucleus and parahippocampal gyrus in Parkinson's disease patients with dysphagia after repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation:a case-control study

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation(r TMS)has been shown to effectively improve impaired swallowing in Parkinson's disease(PD)patients with dysphagia.However,little is known about how r TMS affects the corresponding brain regions in this patient group.In this casecontrol study,we examined data from 38 PD patients with dysphagia who received treatment at Beijing Rehabilitation Medicine Academy,Capital Medical University.The patients received high-frequency r TMS of the motor cortex once per day for 10 successive days.Changes in brain activation were compared via functional magnetic resonance imaging in PD patients with dysphagia and healthy controls.The results revealed that before treatment,PD patients with dysphagia showed greater activation in the precentral gyrus,supplementary motor area,and cerebellum compared with healthy controls,and this enhanced activation was weakened after treatment.Furthermore,before treatment,PD patients with dysphagia exhibited decreased activation in the parahippocampal gyrus,caudate nucleus,and left thalamus compared with healthy controls,and this activation increased after treatment.In addition,PD patients with dysphagia reported improved subjective swallowing sensations after r TMS.These findings suggest that swallowing function in PD patients with dysphagia improved after r TMS of the motor cortex.This may have been due to enhanced activation of the caudate nucleus and parahippocampal gyrus.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Beijing Rehabilitation Hospital of Capital Medical University(approval No.2018 bkky017)on March 6,2018 and was registered with Chinese Clinical Trial Registry(registration No.Chi CTR 1800017207)on July 18,2018.

Association between brain N-acetylaspartate levels and sensory and motor dysfunction in patients who have spinal cord injury with spasticity:an observational case-control study

Spinal cord injury is a severe and devastating disease,and spasticity is a common and severe complication that is notoriously refractory to treatment.However,the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying spasticity and its development remain largely unknown.The goal of the present study was to find differences,if any,in metabolites of the left precentral gyrus and basal ganglia of patients who have spinal cord injury with or without spasticity,and to explore the relationship between the brain metabolite concentrations and clinical status.Thirty-six participants were recruited for magnetic resonance spectroscopic examination:23 with spinal cord injury(12 with spasticity and 11 without spasticity)and 13 healthy controls.We acquired localized proton spectra from the precentral gyrus and basal ganglia via 10 mm^(3) voxels.Notably,univariate linear regression analysis demonstrated that the lower that the N-acetylaspartate concentration(a marker for neuronal loss)was in the precentral gyrus of the patients,the lower their ASIA(American Spinal Injury Association)light-touch scores,pinprick scores,and motor scores.Additionally,longer durations of injury were associated with higher N-acetylaspartate levels in the precentral gyrus.Compared with the healthy participants and patients without spasticity,N-acetylaspartate levels in the patients with spasticity were significantly lower in both the precentral gyrus and basal ganglia.Lower N-acetylaspartate levels also correlated with greater sensory and motor dysfunction in the patients who had spinal cord injury with spasticity.

Cerebral activation during unilateral clenching in patients with temporomandibular joint synovitis and biting pain： an functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Background Functional magnetic resonance is a non-invasive method that can examine brain activity and has been widely used in various fields including jaw movement and pain processing. Temporomandibular disorder （TMD） is one of the most frequent facial pain problems. The objective of this study was to investigate the brain activities using functional magnetic resonance imaging （fMRI） during unilateral maximal voluntary clenching tasks in the TMD synovitis patients with biting pain.Methods Fourteen TMD synovitis patients with unilateral biting pain and 14 controls were included in the study.Contralateral biting pain was defined as right molar clenching causing left temporomandibular joint （TMJ） pain. Ipsilateral biting pain was defined as right molar clenching causing right TMJ pain. Symptom Check List-90 （SCL-90） was administered to the patients and controls. Independent sample t-test was used to compare the SCL-90 subscales between the two groups. Unilateral clenching tasks were performed by the patients and controls. Imaging data were analyzed using SPM99.Results Patients were divided into contralateral TMD biting pain group （n=8） and ipsilateral TMD biting pain group （n=6）. The SCL-90 subscales were significantly different between the two groups for somatization, depression, anxiety,phobic anxiety, and paranoid ideation. Group analysis of the controls demonstrated brain activations in the inferior frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, and insular. The areas of activation were different between right and left clenching task. In TMJ synovitis patients with contralateral or ipsilateral biting pain, the group analysis showed activations in the inferior frontal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, medium frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus,and anterior cingulate cortex.Conclusions The inferior frontal gyrus and precentral gyrus play essential roles during the unilateral clenching task.Activation of anterior cingulate cortex in the synovitis patients with biting pain was associated with higher levels of psychological distress.