The ε4 allele of the APOE gene is thought to increase risk from amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) to Alzheimer’s disease. Cognitive decline in the condition is increasingly considered to worsen functional disconnections in brain network composed of gray matter and white matter. Nevertheless, Whether APOEε4 targets specific white matter functional connectivity in patients with aMCI remains mostly unexplored, mainly due to the challenges of detecting BOLD signals in white matter. Here, we applied a novel approach to investigate APOEε4-related specific bundles and cortical area alterations in aMCI subjects, in order to characterize white matter-gray matter functional connectivity differences throughout the brain. We analyzed 75 patients with aMCI and 76 demographically matched normal controls. The aMCI APOEε4 carriers showed decreased functional connectivity located at left corticospinal tract, bilateral posterior limb of internal capsule, and right temporopolaris, which was different from the regions of aMCI-related changes. We further found that recognition scores were positively associated with the right temporopolaris in aMCI APOEε4 carriers. Collectively, the data provide new evidence that APOEε4 genotype exerts a negative impact on neural activity in both gray and white matter in aMCI, which potentially contributes to functional disconnection and memory decline. A novel method provides full-scale measuring effect of disease conditions on functional architecture throughout the brain. Trial registration: https://www.ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT02225964). Registered January 2014.
Objective:In-stent restenosis (ISR) after stenting for intracranial stenosis is a significant issue. This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the 3D T1-SPACE technique in the follow-up of patients after stent implantation.Methods:Fifteen patients with intracranial arterial stenosis were prospectively enrolled 6–8 months after stenting. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and 3D T1-SPACE imaging were performed to evaluate the degree of stenosis and the enhancement of the vessel wall. Bland–Altman plots were used to assess the agreement between the two imaging methods, and the Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated as a measure of the linear correlation.Results:Eight Enterprise stents and seven Wingspan stents were used in 15 patients. The follow-up DSA after 6–8 months showed that the degree of stenosis was 40% (range, 30–72%), and ISR occurred in 4 of 15 (26.7%) lesions. The degree of stenosis assessed using the 3D T1-SPACE imaging technique was 35% (range, 30–75%). All four patients with ISR demonstrated significant enhancement. The Pearson correlation coefficient between the two methods was 0.959 (p < 0.05), and the Bland–Altman plot showed that all data points were within the consistency limits ( ± 1.96 s).Conclusion:As a non-invasive imaging modality, 3D T1-SPACE showed great consistency with DSA in measuring the degree of stenosis after intracranial stenting. It may be used as an optional method for detecting ISR.Advances in knowledge:This study evaluated the usefulness of 3D T1-SPACE technique in the follow-up of patients after stent implantation, which could be used as an optional and non-invasive method in detection of in-stent restenosis. 相似文献
