Correlation between white matter damage and gray matter lesions in multiple sclerosis patients

We observed the characteristics of white matter fibers and gray matter in multiple sclerosis patients, to identify changes in diffusion tensor imaging fractional anisotropy values following white matter fiber injury. We analyzed the correlation between fractional anisotropy values and changes in whole-brain gray matter volume. The participants included 20 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and 20 healthy volunteers as controls. All subjects underwent head magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging. Our results revealed that fractional anisotropy values decreased and gray matter volumes were reduced in the genu and splenium of corpus callosum, left anterior thalamic radiation, hippocampus, uncinate fasciculus, right corticospinal tract, bilateral cingulate gyri, and inferior longitudinal fasciculus in multiple sclerosis patients. Gray matter volumes were significantly different between the two groups in the right frontal lobe（superior frontal, middle frontal, precentral, and orbital gyri）, right parietal lobe（postcentral and inferior parietal gyri）, right temporal lobe（caudate nucleus）, right occipital lobe（middle occipital gyrus）, right insula, right parahippocampal gyrus, and left cingulate gyrus. The voxel sizes of atrophic gray matter positively correlated with fractional anisotropy values in white matter association fibers in the patient group. These findings suggest that white matter fiber bundles are extensively injured in multiple sclerosis patients. The main areas of gray matter atrophy in multiple sclerosis are the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, caudate nucleus, parahippocampal gyrus, and cingulate gyrus. Gray matter atrophy is strongly associated with white matter injury in multiple sclerosis patients, particularly with injury to association fibers.

Multifractal analysis of white matter structural changes on 3D magnetic resonance imaging between normal aging and early Alzheimer's disease

Applications of multifractal analysis to white matter structure changes on magnetic resonance imaging（MRI） have recently received increasing attentions. Although some progresses have been made, there is no evident study on applying multifractal analysis to evaluate the white matter structural changes on MRI for Alzheimer＇s disease（AD） research. In this paper, to explore multifractal analysis of white matter structural changes on 3D MRI volumes between normal aging and early AD, we not only extend the traditional box-counting multifractal analysis（BCMA） into the 3D case, but also propose a modified integer ratio based BCMA（IRBCMA） algorithm to compensate for the rigid division rule in BCMA. We verify multifractal characteristics in 3D white matter MRI volumes. In addition to the previously well studied multifractal feature,△α, we also demonstrated △ f as an alternative and effective multifractal feature to distinguish NC from AD subjects.Both △α and △ f are found to have strong positive correlation with the clinical MMSE scores with statistical significance.Moreover, the proposed IRBCMA can be an alternative and more accurate algorithm for 3D volume analysis. Our findings highlight the potential usefulness of multifractal analysis, which may contribute to clarify some aspects of the etiology of AD through detection of structural changes in white matter.

Compression analysis of the gray and white matter of the spinal cord

The spinal cord is composed of gray matter and white matter.It is well known that the properties of these two tissues differ considerably.Spinal diseases often present with symptoms that are caused by spinal cord compression.Understanding the mechanical properties of gray and white matter would allow us to gain a deep understanding of the injuries caused to the spinal cord and provide information on the pathological changes to these distinct tissues in several disorders.Previous studies have reported on the physical properties of gray and white matter,however,these were focused on longitudinal tension tests.Little is known about the differences between gray and white matter in terms of their response to compression.We therefore performed mechanical compression test of the gray and white matter of spinal cords harvested from cows and analyzed the differences between them in response to compression.We conducted compression testing of gray matter and white matter to detect possible differences in the collapse rate.We found that increased compression(especially more than 50%compression)resulted in more severe injuries to both the gray and white matter.The present results on the mechanical differences between gray and white matter in response to compression will be useful when interpreting findings from medical imaging in patients with spinal conditions.

Age-related changes of lateral ventricular width and periventricular white matter in the human brain: a diffusion tensor imaging study

Introduction Aging is the accumulation of multidimensional deterioration of process- ing of biological, psychological, and social changes with expansion over time （Bowen and Atwood, 2004; Grady, 2012）. Aging-related changes are typically accompanied by decline in cognitive function, urinary control, sensory-motor function, and gait ability （Bradley et al., 1991; Bowen and Atwood, 2004; Hedden and Gabrieli, 2004; Grady, 2012; Moran et al., 2012）. In addition, a number of studies have suggested changes in brain structure with normal aging, such as decrease in cortical thickness or increase in ventricular width （Blatter et al., 1995; Tang et al., 1997; Uylings and de Brabander, 2002; Preul et al., 2006; Apostolova et al., 2012）. In particular, ventricular enlargement has been suggested as a structural biomarker for normal aging and progression of some illnesses, such as Alzheimer＇s disease （Blatter et al., 1995; Tang et al.,

MRI Features and Site-specific Factors of Ischemic Changes in White Matter： A Retrospective Study

Brain magnetic resonance imaging （MRI） of the elderly often reveals white matter changes （WMCs） with substantial variability across individuals. Our study was designed to explore MRI features and site-specific factors of ischemic WMCs. Clinical data of consecutive patients diagnosed with ischemic cerebral vascular disease who had undergone brain MRI were collected and analyzed. Multi-logistic regression analysis comparing patients with mild versus severe WMCs was performed to detect independent associations. Analyses of variance （ANOVAs） were used to detect regionally specific differences in lesions. We found that lesion distribution differed significantly across five cerebral areas, with lesions being predominant in the frontal lobe and parieto-occipital area. To explore WMCs risk factors, after adjusting for gender, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension, only age （P〈0.01）, creatinine （P=0.01）, alkaline phosphatase （ALP） （P=0.01） and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C） （P=0.03） were found to be independently associated with severe WMCs. Age （P〈0.001） was strongly associated with WMCs in the frontal lobe while hypertension was independently related to lesions in the basal ganglia （P=0.048） or infratentorial area （P=0.016）. In conclusion, MRI of WMCs showed that ischemic WMCs occurred mostly in the frontal lobe and parieto-occipital area. The infratentorial area was least affected by WMCs. Typically, age-related WMCs were observed in the frontal lobes, while hypertension-related WMCs tended to occur in the basal ganglia and infratentorial area.

Computerized White Matter and Gray Matter Extraction from MRI of Brain Image

Automated segmentation of white matter (WM) and gray matter (GM) is a very important task for detecting multiple diseases. The paper proposed a simple method for WM and GM extraction form magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of brain. The proposed methods based on binarization, wavelet decomposition, and convexhull produce very effective results in the context of visual inspection and as well as quantifiably. It tested on three different (Transvers, Sagittal, Coronal) types of MRI of brain image and the validation of experiment indicate accurate detection and segmentation of the interesting structures or particular region of MRI of brain image.

Pulsed arterial spin labeling effectively and dynamically observes changes in cerebral blood flow after mild traumatic brain injury

Cerebral blood flow is strongly associated with brain function, and is the main symptom and diagnostic basis for a variety of encephalopathies. However, changes in cerebral blood flow after mild traumatic brain injury remain poorly understood. This study sought to observe changes in cerebral blood flow in different regions after mild traumatic brain injury using pulsed arterial spin labeling. Our results demonstrate maximal cerebral blood flow in gray matter and minimal in the white matter of patients with mild traumatic brain injury. At the acute and subacute stages, cerebral blood flow was reduced in the occipital lobe, parietal lobe, central region, subcutaneous region, and frontal lobe. Cerebral blood flow was restored at the chronic stage. At the acute, subacute, and chronic stages, changes in cerebral blood flow were not apparent in the insula. Cerebral blood flow in the temporal lobe and limbic lobe diminished at the acute and subacute stages, but was restored at the chronic stage. These findings suggest that pulsed arterial spin labeling can precisely measure cerebral blood flow in various brain regions, and may play a reference role in evaluating a patient＇s condition and judging prognosis after traumatic brain injury.

Diffusion kurtosis imaging of microstructural changes in brain tissue affected by acute ischemic stroke in different locations

The location of an acute ischemic stroke is associated with its prognosis. The widely used Gaussian model-based parameter, apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC), cannot reveal microstructural changes in different locations or the degree of infarction. This prospective observational study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of Xiamen Second Hospital, China(approval No. 2014002).Diffusion kurtosis imaging(DKI) was used to detect 199 lesions in 156 patients with acute ischemic stroke(61 males and 95 females), mean age 63.15 ± 12.34 years. A total of 199 lesions were located in the periventricular white matter(n = 52), corpus callosum(n = 14), cerebellum(n = 29), basal ganglia and thalamus(n = 21), brainstem(n = 21) and gray-white matter junctions(n = 62). Percentage changes of apparent diffusion coefficient(ΔADC) and DKI-derived indices(fractional anisotropy [ΔFA], mean diffusivity [ΔMD], axial diffusivity [ΔD_a], radial diffusivity ΔDr, mean kurtosis [ΔMK], axial kurtosis [ΔK_a], and radial kurtosis [ΔK_r]) of each lesion were computed relative to the normal contralateral region. The results showed that(1) there was no significant difference in ΔADC, ΔMD, ΔD_a or ΔD_r among almost all locations.(2) There was significant difference in ΔMK among almost all locations(except basal ganglia and thalamus vs. brain stem; basal ganglia and thalamus vs. gray-white matter junctions; and brainstem vs. gray-white matter junctions.(3) The degree of change in diffusional kurtosis in descending order was as follows: corpus callosum > periventricular white matter > brainstem > gray-white matter junctions > basal ganglia and thalamus > cerebellum. In conclusion, DKI could reveal the differences in microstructure changes among various locations affected by acute ischemic stroke, and performed better than diffusivity among all groups.

Dynamic correlation of diffusion tensor imaging and neurological function scores in beagles with spinal cord injury

Exploring the relationship between different structure of the spinal cord and functional assessment after spinal cord injury is important. Quantitative diffusion tensor imaging can provide information about the microstructure of nerve tissue and can quantify the pathological damage of spinal cord white matter and gray matter. In this study, a custom-designed spinal cord contusion-impactor was used to damage the T_（10） spinal cord of beagles. Diffusion tensor imaging was used to observe changes in the whole spinal cord, white matter, and gray matter, and the Texas Spinal Cord Injury Score was used to assess changes in neurological function at 3 hours, 24 hours, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks after injury. With time, fractional anisotropy values after spinal cord injury showed a downward trend, and the apparent diffusion coefficient, mean diffusivity, and radial diffusivity first decreased and then increased. The apparent diffusion-coefficient value was highly associated with the Texas Spinal Cord Injury Score for the whole spinal cord（R = 0.919, P = 0.027）, white matter（R = 0.932, P = 0.021）, and gray matter（R = 0.882, P = 0.048）. Additionally, the other parameters had almost no correlation with the score（P 〉 0.05）. In conclusion, the highest and most significant correlation between diffusion parameters and neurological function was the apparent diffusion-coefficient value for white matter, indicating that it could be used to predict the recovery of neurological function accurately after spinal cord injury.

An association between the location of white matter changes and the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia in Alzheimer's disease patients

Objective:The frontal lobe may be involved in circuits associated with depression,apathy,aggression,and other psychiatric symptoms.Although white matter changes(WMC)are related to the severity of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia(BPSD)in patients with Alzheimer’s disease(AD),it is unclear which part of the WMC may play the most important role in BPSD.This study was designed to investigate the relationship between the location of WMC and the severity of BPSD in AD patients.Methods:Among patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease between 2009 and2014,387 patients were retrospectively reviewed after those with pre‐existing organic brain syndrome,psychiatric diseases,or toxic‐metabolic encephalopathy were excluded.Patients’demographic and laboratory data,WMC measured with brain computed tomography and scored using the age‐related white matter changes(ARWMC)scale,and neuropsychological tests,including the cognitive abilities screening instrument(CASI),the Mini‐Mental State Examination(MMSE),the clinical dementia rating scale with sum‐box(CDR‐SB),and the neuropsychiatric inventory(NPI)were analyzed.Results:There was no significant difference in the NPI between patients with and without a history of stroke,hypertension,and diabetes.No significant difference in the NPI was identified between different sexes or different Apolipoprotein E(APOE)alleles.The NPI score was significantly correlated with the duration of education(r=–0.4515,P=0.0172),CASI(r=–0.2915,P<0.0001),MMSE(r=–0.8476,P<0.0001),and CDR‐SB(r=2.2839,P<0.0001).WMC in the right frontal lobe showed a significant difference in NPI in comparison to those without WMC(P=0.0255).After adjusting for age,duration of education,and CASI,WMC in the right frontal lobe remained significantly associated with the NPI score(β=3.8934,P=0.042).Conclusions:WMC involving the right frontal lobe may play an important role in the BPSD in AD patients during their dementia diagnosis.Further studies are necessary to confirm whether controlling the risk factors of WMC can slow the progression of BPSD.

β-Estradiol 17-acetate enhances the in vitro vitality of endothelial cells isolated from the brain of patients subjected to neurosurgery

In the current landscape of endothelial cell isolation for building in vitro models of the blood-brain barrier,our work moves towards reproducing the features of the neurovascular unit to achieve glial compliance through an innovative biomimetic coating technology for brain chronic implants.We hypothesized that the autologous origin of human brain mic rovascular endothelial cells(hBMECs)is the first requirement for the suitable coating to prevent the glial inflammato ry response trigge red by foreign neuroprosthetics.Therefo re,this study established a new procedure to preserve the in vitro viability of hBMECs isolated from gray and white matter specimens taken from neurosurge ry patients.Culturing adult hBMECs is generally considered a challenging task due to the difficult survival ex vivo and progressive reduction in proliferation of these cells.The addition of 10 nMβ-estradiol 17-acetate to the hBMEC culture medium was found to be an essential and discriminating factor promoting adhesion and proliferation both after isolation and thawing,suppo rting the well-known protective role played by estrogens on microvessels.In particular,β-estradiol 17-acetate was critical for both freshly isolated and thawed female-derived hBMECs,while it was not necessary for freshly isolated male-derived hBMECs;however,it did countera ct the decay in the viability of the latter after thawing.The tumo r-free hBMECs were thus cultured for up to 2 months and their growth efficiency was assessed befo re and after two periods of cryopreservation.Des pite the thermal stress,the hBMECs remained viable and suitable for re-freezing and storage for several months.This approach increasing in vitro viability of hBMECs opens new perspectives for the use of cryopreserved autologous hBMECs as biomimetic therapeutic tools,offering the potential to avoid additional surgical sampling for each patient.

Monte Carlo and phantom study in the brain edema models

Because the brain edema has a crucial impact on morbidity and mortality,it is important to develop a noninvasive method to monitor the process of the brain edema effectively.When the brain edema occurs,the optical properties of the brain will change.The goal of this study is to access the feasibility and reliability of using noninvasive near-infrared spectroscopy(NIRS)monitoring method to measure the brain edema.Specifically,three models,including the water content changes in the cerebrospinal fuid(CSF),gray matter and white matter,were explored.Moreover,these models were numerically simulated by the Monte Carlo studies.Then,the phantom experiments were performed to investigate the light intensity which was measured at different detecting radius on the tissue surface.The results indicated that the light intensity correlated well with the conditions of the brain edema and the detecting radius.Briefly,at the detect ing radius of 3.0 cm and 4.0 cm,the light intensity has a high response to the change of tissue parameters and optical properties.Thus,it is possible to monitor the brain edema noninvasively by NIRS method and the light intensity is a reliable and simple parameter to assess the brain edema.

Atlas-based deep gray matter and white matter analysis in Alzheimer's disease: diffusion abnormality and correlation with cognitive function

Objective To identify the diffusion alterations of deep gray matter(GM)and white matter(WM)among Alzheimer’s disease(AD),mild cognitive impairment(MCI)and healthy people by atlas-based analysis(ABA),and to investigate the respective relationship with cognitive function.Methods Twenty-one AD patients(AD group),8 MCI patients(MCI group)and

脑卒中患者白质高信号体积变化与认知功能的相关性

目的 探讨脑卒中患者白质高信号体积变化与认知功能的相关性。方法 2020年7月-2021年1月139例脑卒中患者为研究对象,采用蒙特利尔认知评估量表(MoCA)及MRI评估患者基线认知功能及白质高信号体积,随访1年后,再次收集患者认知功能情况及白质高信号体积,分析脑卒中患者白质高信号体积变化情况及认知功能情况,并根据患者认知功能情况分为正常组和障碍组,探讨白质高信号体积变化与患者认知功能降低的相关性。结果 139例患者随访1年后,共9例失访,最终纳入130例脑卒中患者,46.15%(60/130)的脑卒中患者白质高信号体积进展,23.85%(31/130)患者白质高信号体积改善,30.00%(39/130)白质高信号体积保持稳定。其中53例患者出现认知功能障碍为障碍组,77例为认知功能正常组。两组患者年龄、性别等一般资料比较差异无统计学意义(P> 0.05),白质高信号体积变化障碍组高于正常组(P<0.05),Pearson相关性分析显示,脑卒中患者白质高信号体积变化与患者认知功能评分呈负相关(P<0.05)。结论 脑卒中后患者白质高信号体积变化多呈进展趋势,并与患者认知功能评分呈负相关。

BDNF和HDL-C与老年帕金森病患者脑白质病变的关系

目的探讨血清脑源性神经营养因子(BDNF)和高密度脂蛋白胆固醇(HDL-C)与老年帕金森病(PD)患者脑白质病变(WML)的关系。方法筛选116例老年PD患者为研究组,依据Fazckas分级分成PD-WML组和PD组,另选取同期人口学资料匹配的40例健康体检者为对照组。比较不同组别的相关资料,应用多因素Logistic分析PD患者WML的影响因素,受试者工作特征(ROC)曲线分析血清BDNF、HDL-C与PD患者WML的关系。结果116例PD患者WML发生率为72.41%(84/116),Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ级分别43、30、11例。PD-WML组年龄、高血压患病率、统一帕金森病评定量表Ⅲ(UPDRS-Ⅲ)评分均高于PD组(P<0.05),血清BDNF[(4.83±1.15)μg/L比(6.12±1.20)μg/L]、TC[(4.37±0.96)mmol/L比(4.84±1.04)mmol/L]和HDL-C[(1.07±0.29)mmol/L比(1.23±0.32)mmol/L]明显低于PD组(P<0.05)。年龄、高血压、BDNF和HDL-C是PD患者发生WML的独立影响因素(P<0.05)。对照组、PD组、WML轻度组(Ⅰ级)、WML中重度组(Ⅱ~Ⅲ级)血清BDNF、HDL-C均呈依次下降趋势(P<0.05),WML中重度组血清BDNF、HDL-C水平均明显低于WML轻度组(P<0.05)。血清BDNF、HDL-C以及联合诊断PD患者发生WML的曲线下面积(AUC)为0.834、0.768、0.899,单独诊断的截断值分别为5.70μg/L、1.15 mmol/L。血清BDNF、HDL-C以及联合诊断PD发生中重度WML的AUC为0.820、0.766、0.833,单独诊断的截断值分别为4.79μg/L、1.02 mmol/L。结论血清BDNF、HDL-C是PD患者发生WML的保护因素,可有效预测PD患者发生WML和评估病情严重程度。

慢性脑供血不足患者炎症因子、脑白质改变与认知功能障碍发生的相关性

目的研究慢性脑供血不足(CCCI)患者炎症因子、脑白质改变与认知功能障碍发生的相关性。方法选取2022年6月至2023年2月在抚州市第一人民医院接受治疗的CCCI患者80例作为研究对象。采用简易精神状态评价量表(MMSE)为患者实施精神状态评估,并以27分作为临界点,总分<27分表示存在认知功能障碍,记为观察组(37例)。总分≥27分表示认知功能正常,记为对照组(43例)。比较两组蒙特利尔认知评估量表(MoCA)评分,血清C反应蛋白(CRP)、降钙素原(PCT)水平及脑白质改变(ARWMC)评分,分析观察组患者血清CRP、PCT水平及ARWMC评分与MoCA评分的相关性。结果观察组MoCA评分总分值低于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。观察组血清CRP、PCT水平及ARWMC评分均高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。根据Pearson法分析相关性,观察组患者血清CRP、PCT水平及ARWMC评分与MoCA评分均呈负相关(r=0.651、0.708、0.649,P<0.05)。结论CCCI患者炎症因子、脑白质改变与其认知功能障碍发生均具有相关性,且主要表现为血清CRP、PCT水平及ARWMC评分与MoCA评分均呈负相关,值得关注。

脑血管病患者介入术后脑灰质和白质密度变化及其与神经功能缺损程度的相关性

目的:探究脑血管病患者介入术后大脑灰质和白质密度变化情况以及大脑灰质和白质密度变化及其与神经功能缺损程度的相关性。方法:选择2019年3月至2022年3月我院收治的缺血性脑血管病接受介入手术的163例患者作为研究对象,依据美国国立卫生研究院卒中量表(NIHSS)评分对神经功能缺损程度进行分组,分为轻度神经功能缺损组(53例)、中度神经功能缺损组(61例)、重度神经功能缺损组(49例)。多因素Logistic回归分析重度神经功能缺损的重要影响因素。分层交互检验判断脑灰质和白质密度差对神经功能缺损的影响。绘制验证脑灰质和白质密度差对神经功能缺损严重程度的受试者操作特征(ROC)曲线。回归方程y=1-1/(1+e^(-z))预测模型,ROC曲线下面积(AUC)、一致性指数评价模型的区分度和准确性。结果:超敏C反应蛋白、白细胞、中性粒细胞、S100钙结合蛋白B、脑灰质和白质密度差等是重度神经功能缺损的独立危险因素(P<0.05)。脑灰质和白质密度差与神经功能缺损程度具有正相关性。当脑灰质和白质密度差≥14.08 HU时,脑血管病患者介入术后出现重度神经功能缺损的概率显著提升。经Bootstrap自抽样,预测模型区分度、准确度较好。结论:介入术后,脑灰质和白质密度变化与脑血管病患者神经功能缺损严重程度紧密相关,轻中度脑血管病患者介入术后脑灰质和白质密度逐渐下降,而重度患者则逐渐增加。

腔隙性脑梗死患者认知功能障碍与颅脑MRI显示脑白质变化的关系

目的:分析腔隙性脑梗死患者认知功能障碍与颅脑磁共振成像(MRI)显示脑白质变化的关系。方法:选取2021年1月—2023年12月广西壮族自治区江滨医院收治的98例腔隙性脑梗死患者作为研究对象,均接受MRI检查,并采用简明精神状态检查量表(MMSE)及蒙特利尔认知功能评估量表(MoCA)评估患者认知功能,并依据MRI检查结果将患者分组,比较不同分组患者临床资料,并采用Spearman相关性分析腔隙性脑梗死MRI脑白质变化与上述量表评分的关系。结果:98例患者经MRI检查,依据脑白质病变分级标准,0级19例(0级组),1级26例(1级组),2级30例(2级组),3级23例(3级组)。四组临床资料比较,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。四组MMSE评分、MoCA评分比较,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);Spearman相关性分析显示,腔隙性脑梗死患者脑白质病变程度与MMSE评分、MoCA评分呈负相关(r=-0.823、-0.808,P<0.05)。结论:腔隙性脑梗死患者认知功能障碍与其脑白质病变有关,相关认知功能评分与脑白质病变严重程度呈负相关,临床可依据脑白质病变情况对患者认知功能损害进行预估。

Alteration of functional connectivity in patients with Alzheimer’s disease revealed by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging

The main symptom of patients with Alzheimer’s disease is cognitive dysfunction. Alzheimer’s disease is mainly diagnosed based on changes in brain structure. Functional connectivity reflects the synchrony of functional activities between non-adjacent brain regions, and changes in functional connectivity appear earlier than those in brain structure. In this study, we detected resting-state functional connectivity changes in patients with Alzheimer’s disease to provide reference evidence for disease prediction. Functional magnetic resonance imaging data from patients with Alzheimer’s disease were used to show whether particular white and gray matter areas had certain functional connectivity patterns and if these patterns changed with disease severity. In nine white and corresponding gray matter regions, correlations of normal cognition, early mild cognitive impairment, and late mild cognitive impairment with blood oxygen level-dependent signal time series were detected. Average correlation coefficient analysis indicated functional connectivity patterns between white and gray matter in the resting state of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Functional connectivity pattern variation correlated with disease severity, with some regions having relatively strong or weak correlations. We found that the correlation coefficients of five regions were 0.3–0.5 in patients with normal cognition and 0–0.2 in those developing Alzheimer’s disease. Moreover, in the other four regions, the range increased to 0.45–0.7 with increasing cognitive impairment. In some white and gray matter areas, there were specific connectivity patterns. Changes in regional white and gray matter connectivity patterns may be used to predict Alzheimer’s disease;however, detailed information on specific connectivity patterns is needed. All study data were obtained from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative Library of the Image and Data Archive Database.

Regional brain structural abnormality in ischemic stroke patients:a voxel-based morphometry study

Our previous study used regional homogeneity analysis and found that activity in some brain areas of patients with ischemic stroke changed significantly. In the current study, we examined structural changes in these brain regions by taking structural magnetic resonance imaging scans of 11 ischemic stroke patients and 15 healthy participants, and analyzing the data using voxel-based morphometry. Compared with healthy participants, patients exhibited higher gray matter density in the left inferior occipital gyrus and right anterior white matter tract. In contrast, gray matter density in the right cerebellum, left precentral gyrus, right middle frontal gyrus, and left middle temporal gyrus was less in ischemic stroke patients. The changes of gray matter density in the middle frontal gyrus were negatively associated with the clin- ical rating scales of the Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment （r = -0.609, P = 0.047） and the left middle temporal gyrus was negatively correlated with the clinical rating scales of the nervous functional deficiency scale （r = -0.737, P = 0.010）. Our findings call objectively identify the functional abnormality in some brain regions of ischemic stroke patients.