The value of CT and very low field MRI in the etiological diagnosis of dizziness

A total of 79 dizziness patients were examined by either computed tomography (CT), or very low field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or both. In most cases, the patients were selected for the neuroimaging because preliminary clinical examination had suggested central nervous system (CNS) involvement. Abnormal CT or MRI findings with probable clinical relevance to the etiology of dizziness were obtained in 34%. The most common abnormalities were atrophy, infarction, and demyelination.; 29% of the CT scans and 40% of the MRI showed relevant abnormalities. The present results emphasize the diagnostic usefulness of head CT and MRI when dizziness of CNS etiology is suspected.     

缺血－再灌注兔心肌肌浆网自由基的测定

应用电子自旋共振波谱仪（ＥＳＲ）直接检测了缺血－再灌注兔心肌肌浆网自由基的变化，以探讨肌质网系统与氧自由基的关系。实验中将２０只兔随机分为再灌注对照组、超氧化物歧化酶（ＳＯＤ）组、ＡＴＰ－氯化镁组和人参皂甙Ｒｅ组。实验结果，ｇ值２．００４６处为半醌自由基波谱，其相对浓度各组依次为７８．９４±２．１２６，１４．４６±２．８６，２０．６５±７．６５，１４．６６±３．６７（ｘ±ＳＤ），对照组与用药组均有显著性差异（Ｐ＜０．０５），表明缺血－再灌注兔心肌肌浆网产生大量的自由基，用ＥＳＲ可以直接检测到半醌自由基，外源性高能磷酸盐制剂ＡＴＰ－氯化镁及人参皂甙Ｒｅ与超氧化物歧化酶一样，发挥清除兔心肌肌浆网自由基的作用。     

Long-term changes in the magnetic resonance image after chemonucleolysis

Summary After treatment of a symptomatic herniated disc with chymopapain, 14 patients were re-examined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at a mean follow-up of 72 months. Well-defined MRI findings before chemonucleolysis were compared with those after the procedure by an independent observer. Five MRI parameters were assessed. No significant change was noted in the signal intensity of the affected disc, the extent of osteochondrosis and endplate reaction of the affected segment. The height of the affected disc as well as the size of the disc herniation were reduced significantly. The loss of the height is seen as a direct result of chymopapain activity, whereas the alteration of the size of the herniation seems to depend on the natural history of a disc herniation and is probably not a simple result of the treatment.     

MRI and SPECT findings in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Summary MRI was performed in 21 patients and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) withN-isopropyl-p-¹²³I iodoamphetamine in 16 patients, to visualize upper motor neurone lesions in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. T2-weighted MRI revealed high signal along the course of the pyramidal tract in the internal capsule and cerebral peduncle in 4 of 21 patients. SPECT images were normal in 4 patients, but uptake was reduced in the cerebral cortex that includes the motor area in 11.     

Human brain atlas: For high-resolution functional and anatomical mapping

We present the new computerized Human Brain Atlas (HBA) for anatomical and functional mapping studies of the human brain. The HBA is based on many high-resolution magnetic resonance images of normal subjects and provides continuous updating of the mean shape and position of anatomical structures of the human brain. The structures are transformable by linear and nonlinear global and local transformations applied anywhere in 3-D pictures to fit the anatomical structures of individual brains, which, by reformatting, are transformed into a high-resolution standard anatomical format. The power of the HBA to reduce anatomical variations was evaluated on a randomized selection of anatomical landmarks in brains of 27 young normal male volunteers who were different from those on whom the standard brain was selected. The HBA, even when based only on standard brain surface and central structures, reduced interindividual anatomical variance to the level of the variance in structure position between the right and left hemisphere in individual brains. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Primary and transplanted ENU induced rat tumors in neurooncology

In neurooncology transplanting, tumors can be used for many purposes e.g. to solve questions concerning the etiology and pathogenesis of such tumors or their management. Experimentally induced and transplanted tumors of the nervous system become reproducible in their morphology and growth parameters after about 12 subsequent intracerebral passages. During the period from the first to the 12th intracerebral generations, a simplification of the histology and a reduction of the induction times take place. Nowadays the growth behavior of such tumors can be followed by imaging methods such as MRI if specially adapted to small animals. Our results are based on the investigation of over 2350 experimentally induced tumors of the central and peripheral nervous system that were diagnosed according to the rules of human and rodent brain tumor classification and various subgroups of this sample, analyzed by electron microscopy, postmortal angiography and MRI.     

Caffeine restores regional brain activation in acute hypoglycaemia in healthy volunteers.

AIMS: Caffeine enhances counterregulatory responses to acute hypoglycaemia. Our aim was to explore its effects on cortical function, which are not known at present. METHODS: Regional brain activation during performance of the four-choice reaction time (4CRT) at different levels of complexity was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at euglycaemia (5 mmol/l) and hypoglycaemia (2.6 mmol/l) in the presence and absence of caffeine in six healthy right-handed men. RESULTS: During hypoglycaemia, caffeine enhanced adrenaline responses to hypoglycaemia (2.5 +/- 0.7 nmol/l to 4.0 +/- 1.0 nmol/l, P = 0.01) and restored the brain activation response to the non-cued 4CRT, the linear increases in regional brain activation associated with increased task complexity and the ability to respond to a cue that were lost in hypoglycaemia alone. CONCLUSIONS: Caffeine can sustain regional brain activation patterns lost in acute hypoglycaemia, with some restoration of cortical function and enhanced adrenaline responsiveness. A methodology has been established that may help in the development of therapies to protect against severe hypoglycaemia in insulin therapy for patients with diabetes and problematic hypoglycaemia.     

Primary diffuse leptomeningeal gliomatosis followed with serial magnetic resonance images

We report a case of primary diffuse leptomeningeal gliomatosis (PDLG) followed up with serial magnetic resonance images (MRI). A 45‐year‐old man manifested with bilateral abducens nerve palsy and meningisms. Repeated MRI revealed diffuse leptomeningeal enhancement throughout the central nervous system without intra‐axial mass accompanied with the dilatation of ventricles and focally enlarged cerebral sulci. Brain biopsies showed a leptomeningeal gliomatosis. The MRI findings described here would contribute to the diagnosis of PDLG among other common diseases diffusely spreading along the leptomeningeal structures.