BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:

Embolization is widely performed to treat brain arteriovenous malformations, but little has been reported on factors contributing to complications. We retrospectively reviewed a nationwide surveillance to identify risk factors contributing to complications and short-term clinical outcomes in the endovascular treatment of brain arteriovenous malformations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Data for endovascular treatment of brain arteriovenous malformations were extracted from the Japanese nationwide surveillance. Patient characteristics, brain arteriovenous malformation features, procedures, angiographic results, complications, and clinical outcomes at 30 days postprocedure were analyzed.

RESULTS:

A total of 1042 endovascular procedures (788 patients; mean, 1.43 ± 0.85 procedures per patient) performed in 111 institutions from 2010 to 2014 were reviewed. Liquid materials were used in 976 procedures (93.7%): to perform presurgical embolization in 638 procedures (61.2%), preradiosurgical embolization in 160 (15.4%), and as sole endovascular treatment in 231 (22.2%). Complete or near-complete obliteration of brain arteriovenous malformations was obtained in 386 procedures (37.0%). Procedure-related complications occurred in 136 procedures (13.1%), including hemorrhagic complications in 59 (5.7%) and ischemic complications in 57 (5.5%). Univariate analysis identified deep venous drainage, associated aneurysms, infratentorial location, and preradiosurgical embolization as statistically significant risk factors for complications. Multivariate analysis showed that embolization of brain arteriovenous malformations in the infratentorial location was significantly associated with complications. Patients with complications due to endovascular procedures had worse clinical outcomes 30 days after the procedures than those without complications.

CONCLUSIONS:

Complications arising after endovascular treatment of brain arteriovenous malformations are not negligible even though they may play a role in adjunctive therapy, especially in the management of infratentorial brain arteriovenous malformations.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:

Anoxic brain injury is a result of prolonged hypoxia. We sought to describe the nonquantitative arterial spin-labeling perfusion imaging patterns of anoxic brain injury, characterize the relationship of arterial spin-labeling and DWI, and evaluate the normalized diffusion-to-perfusion ratio to differentiate patients with anoxic brain injury from healthy controls.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

We identified all patients diagnosed with anoxic brain injuries from 2002 to 2019. Twelve ROIs were drawn on arterial spin-labeling with coordinate-matched ROIs identified on DWI. Linear regression analysis was performed to examine the relationship between arterial spin-labeling perfusion and diffusion signal. Normalized diffusion-to-perfusion maps were generated using a custom-built algorithm.

RESULTS:

Thirty-five patients with anoxic brain injuries and 34 healthy controls were identified. Linear regression analysis demonstrated a significant positive correlation between arterial spin-labeling and DWI signal. By means of a combinatory cutoff of slope of >0 and R² of > 0.78, linear regression using arterial spin-labeling and DWI showed a sensitivity of 0.86 (95% CI, 0.71–0.94) and specificity of 0.82 (95% CI, 0.66–0.92) for anoxic brain injuries. A normalized diffusion-to-perfusion color map demonstrated heterogeneous ratios throughout the brain in healthy controls and homogeneous ratios in patients with anoxic brain injuries.

CONCLUSIONS:

In anoxic brain injuries, a homogeneously positive correlation between qualitative perfusion and DWI signal was identified so that areas of increased diffusion signal showed increased ASL signal. By exploiting this relationship, the normalized diffusion-to-perfusion ratio color map may be a valuable imaging biomarker for diagnosing anoxic brain injury and potentially assessing BBB integrity.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:

Accurate differentiation between glioblastoma and solitary brain metastasis is of vital importance clinically. This study aimed to investigate the potential value of the inflow-based vascular-space-occupancy MR imaging technique, which has no need for an exogenous contrast agent, in differentiating glioblastoma and solitary brain metastasis and to compare it with DSC MR imaging.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Twenty patients with glioblastoma and 22 patients with solitary brain metastasis underwent inflow-based vascular-space-occupancy and DSC MR imaging with a 3T clinical scanner. Two neuroradiologists independently measured the maximum inflow-based vascular-space-occupancy–derived arteriolar CBV and DSC-derived CBV values in intratumoral regions and peritumoral T2-hyperintense regions, which were normalized to the contralateral white matter (relative arteriolar CBV and relative CBV, inflow-based vascular-space-occupancy relative arteriolar CBV, and DSC-relative CBV). The intraclass correlation coefficient, Student t test, or Mann-Whitney U test and receiver operating characteristic analysis were performed.

RESULTS:

All parameters of both regions had good or excellent interobserver reliability (0.74~0.89). In peritumoral T2-hyperintese regions, DSC-relative CBV (P < .001), inflow-based vascular-space-occupancy arteriolar CBV (P = .001), and relative arteriolar CBV (P = .005) were significantly higher in glioblastoma than in solitary brain metastasis, with areas under the curve of 0.94, 0.83, and 0.72 for discrimination, respectively. In the intratumoral region, both inflow-based vascular-space-occupancy arteriolar CBV and relative arteriolar CBV were significantly higher in glioblastoma than in solitary brain metastasis (both P < .001), with areas under the curve of 0.91 and 0.90, respectively. Intratumoral DSC-relative CBV showed no significant difference (P = .616) between the 2 groups.

CONCLUSIONS:

Inflow-based vascular-space-occupancy has the potential to discriminate glioblastoma from solitary brain metastasis, especially in the intratumoral region.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:

Brain metastases are a common finding on brain MRI. However, the factors that dictate their size and distribution are incompletely understood. Our aim was to discover a statistical model that can account for the size distribution of parenchymal metastases in the brain as measured on contrast-enhanced MR imaging.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Tumor volumes were calculated on the basis of measured tumor diameters from contrast-enhanced T1-weighted spoiled gradient-echo images in 68 patients with untreated parenchymal metastatic disease. Tumor volumes were then placed in rank-order distributions and compared with 11 different statistical curve types. The resultant R² values to assess goodness of fit were calculated. The top 2 distributions were then compared using the likelihood ratio test, with resultant R values demonstrating the relative likelihood of these distributions accounting for the observed data.

RESULTS:

Thirty-nine of 68 cases best fit a power distribution (mean R² = 0.938 ± 0.050), 20 cases best fit an exponential distribution (mean R² = 0.957 ± 0.050), and the remaining cases were scattered among the remaining distributions. Likelihood ratio analysis revealed that 66 of 68 cases had a positive mean R value (1.596 ± 1.316), skewing toward a power law distribution.

CONCLUSIONS:

The size distributions of untreated brain metastases favor a power law distribution. This finding suggests that metastases do not exist in isolation, but rather as part of a complex system. Furthermore, these results suggest that there may be a relatively small number of underlying variables that substantially influence the behavior of these systems. The identification of these variables could have a profound effect on our understanding of these lesions and our ability to treat them.

SUMMARY:

The remarkable temperature sensitivity of the brain is widely recognized and has been studied for its role in the potentiation of ischemic and other neurologic injuries. Pyrexia frequently complicates large-vessel acute ischemic stroke and develops commonly in critically ill neurologic patients; the profound sensitivity of the brain even to minor intraischemic temperature changes, together with the discovery of brain-to-systemic as well as intracerebral temperature gradients, has thus compelled the exploration of cerebral thermoregulation and uncovered its immutable dependence on cerebral blood flow. A lack of pragmatic and noninvasive tools for spatially and temporally resolved brain thermometry has historically restricted empiric study of cerebral temperature homeostasis; however, MR thermometry (MRT) leveraging temperature-sensitive nuclear magnetic resonance phenomena is well-suited to bridging this long-standing gap. This review aims to introduce the reader to the following: 1) fundamental aspects of cerebral thermoregulation, 2) the physical basis of noninvasive MRT, and 3) the physiologic interdependence of cerebral temperature, perfusion, metabolism, and viability.

Spending at least six months in microgravity can cause astronauts’ brain volumes to increase, causing pressure to build up in their heads and creating vision problems

Your weekly selection of awesome robot videos

Because we don't have enough on our plates as it is, now we've got 'murder hornets' flying around the United States. Murder hornets (actually Asian Giant Hornets, but that name didn't strike enough fear into the masses) have a sting powerful enough that China recommends medical treatment if stunk more than ten times, and emergency treatment if stung more than 30. *pours out a little liquor for Macaulay Culkin in My Girl*. And where is his glasses?! He can't see without his glasses! Put his glasses on! Here's a video of Coyote Peterson getting stung by one (the Japanese Giant Hornet was previously believed to be a subspecies of the Asian Giant Hornet, but has since been recategorized as a color morph). This is a video of a praying mantis eating a Giant Asian hornet until it's just a pile of limbs. So yeah, praying mantises -- start breeding them. And make sure to selectively breed them too so we can produce them bigger and bigger until they're preying on us because the way things are going how is that not how this ends? Keep going for the video while I surround my Animal Crossings town with preying mantises to protect my villagers and keep my five-star rating (okay, three).

Focused ultrasound, the researchers hope, could revolutionize treatment for conditions from Alzheimer's to epilepsy to brain tumors -- and even help repair the devastating damage caused by stroke.

New research finds that sleep problems in a baby's first 12 months may not only precede an autism diagnosis, but also may be associated with altered growth trajectory in a key part of the brain, the hippocampus.

Neuroscientists at the Allen Institute for Brain Science have released the third version of their Allen Mouse Brain Common Coordinate Framework (CCFv3). A mouse brain contains approximately 100 million cells across hundreds of different regions. As neuroscience datasets grow larger and more complex, a common spatial map of the brain becomes more critical, as does [...]

Following a healthy diet or exercising could impact how your brain ages, but the effects on cognitive skills later in life depend on specific gene variants that not everyone has

Our brains influence all aspects of our lives, including our sexual desires. This means brain injuries can have some surprising effects, says Amee Baird

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Mouse neurons trapped inside cages grow long appendages to connect to each other. Trapping the cells allows us to precisely control their growth

A manually constructed 3D atlas offers a cellular-level view of the entire mouse brain. This reference brain, called the Allen Mouse Brain Common Coordinate Framework (CCFv3), is derived from serial two-photon tomography images of 1,675 mice.

People with body integrity dysphoria (BID) often feel as though one of their healthy limbs isn't meant to be a part of their bodies. They may act as though the limb is missing or even seek its amputation 'to feel complete.' Now, researchers have found that these feelings that a limb doesn't belong are mirrored in the brains of people with this condition.

A lipid metabolism enzyme controls brain stem cell activity and lifelong brain development. If the enzyme does not work correctly, it causes learning and memory deficits in humans and mice, as researchers have discovered. Regulating stem cell activity via lipid metabolism could lead to new treatments for brain diseases.

The brain has a powerful ability to remember and connect events separated in time. And now, in a new study in mice, scientists have shed light on how the brain can form such enduring links.

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The third time's the charm for the Allen Institute for Brain Science's 3-D atlas of the mouse brain. Version 3 of the atlas, known as the Allen Mouse Brain Common Coordinate Framework or CCFv3, is the subject of a research paper published today in the journal Cell. It builds on a partial brain map that focused on the mouse cortex and was released in 2016. Previous versions of the atlas were rendered with lower-resolution 3-D maps. The latest high-resolution maps are fine enough to pinpoint the locations of individual brain cells — which is crucial for interpreting datasets that contain thousands… Read More

It’s amazing what happens if you just get out there, writes Ernie Schramayr.

Tributes have poured in for Scrubs actor Sam Lloyd, who has died at the age of 56.

Former Liverpool defender Dominic Matteo has been given the all clear following treatment on a brain tumour.

Former Liverpool defender Dominic Matteo has opened up on the arduous recovery he faces after overcoming a brain tumour.

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A research team has discovered a molecular mechanism that helps Herpes simplex virus (HSV1) evade the innate immune system and infect the brain causing a rare disease with high mortality. The study from Aarhus University, University of Oxford, and University of Gothenburg, led by first author Chiranjeevi Bodda in Søren Paludan's lab, will be published May 8 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM).

The brain has a powerful ability to remember and connect events separated in time. And now, in a new study in mice published today in Neuron, scientists at Columbia's Zuckerman Institute have shed light on how the brain can form such enduring links.

A protein shredder that occurs in cell membranes of brain cells apparently also indirectly regulates the fat metabolism. This is shown by a recent study by the University of Bonn. The shredder, known as gamma-secretase, is considered a possible target for drugs against cancer and Alzheimer's disease. However, the results suggest that such agents may have long-range effects that need to be watched closely. The study has now been published in "Life Science Alliance".

Its name is Foxg1, it is a gene, and its unprecedented role is the protagonist of the discovery just published on the journal Cerebral Cortex. Foxg1 was already known for being a "master gene" able to coordinate the action of hundreds of other genes. As this new study reports, the "excitability" of neurons, namely their ability to respond to stimuli, communicating between each other and carrying out all their tasks, also depends on this gene.

Certain vitamins, minerals and other supplements can support your immune system as a whole, even though they haven’t been researched for their impact on COVID-19 specifically.

Health news and commentary from around the Web gathered by the ALLMedPage Today staff

BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, a firm developing cellular therapies to tackle neurodegenerative diseases, has named industry Big Pharma veteran Dr David Setboun as its new Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

Dr Setboun has served for two decades at some of the biggest names in pharma. His most recent role was Vice President of Corporate Development, Strategy & Business at Life Biosciences, where he helped drive development of a range of vital commercial, operating and funding milestones.

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In a settlement valued at more than $1.7 million, Clean Harbors of Braintree Inc. has agreed to pay a significant penalty and perform additional projects, to settle a complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), regarding numerous violations of hazardous waste management and emergency planning laws at the company’s Braintree, Mass., facility.

AskBio acquires gene therapy biotech working on treatments for neurodegenerative disorders.

Check out this year's winners of the Art of Neuroscience competition

ABOUT CIBR
The Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing (CIBR) was established in March, 2018 by the Beijing Municipal Government and seven institutions in Beijing. Founded to be a pillar of the China Brain Initiative, CIBR aims to support a vibrant interdisciplinary program in neuroscience and its related disciplines, with both basic and applied research focused ultimately on improving human health. CIBR will also take responsibility for coordinating research institutes and managing …

Applications are invited for Principal Investigator (PI) positions at IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at PKU. Positions are open at all ranks from Assistant, Associate to Full Investigator ship.
The Institute was established in 2012 with support from Peking University, IDG and Patrick J. McGovern and Lore Harp McGovern, who are committed to improving human welfare, communication and understanding through their support for neuroscience research. The Institute consists of neural and c…

ABOUT CIBR
The Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing (CIBR) was established in March, 2018 by the Beijing Municipal Government and seven institutions in Beijing. Founded to be a pillar of the China Brain Initiative, CIBR aims to support a vibrant interdisciplinary program in neuroscience and its related disciplines, with both basic and applied research focused ultimately on improving human health. CIBR will also take responsibility for coordinating research institutes and managing …

Applications are invited for Principal Investigator (PI) positions at IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at PKU. Positions are open at all ranks from Assistant, Associate to Full Investigator ship.
The Institute was established in 2012 with support from Peking University, IDG and Patrick J. McGovern and Lore Harp McGovern, who are committed to improving human welfare, communication and understanding through their support for neuroscience research. The Institute consists of neural and c…

Applications are invited for Principal Investigator (PI) positions at IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at PKU. Positions are open at all ranks from Assistant, Associate to Full Investigator ship.
The Institute was established in 2012 with support from Peking University, IDG and Patrick J. McGovern and Lore Harp McGovern, who are committed to improving human welfare, communication and understanding through their support for neuroscience research. The Institute consists of neural and c…