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Bilgic B, Costagli M, Chan KS, Duyn J, Langkammer C, Lee J, Li X, Liu C, Marques JP, Milovic C, Robinson SD, Schweser F, Shmueli K, Spincemaille P, Straub S, van Zijl P, Wang Y. Recommended implementation of quantitative susceptibility mapping for clinical research in the brain: A consensus of the ISMRM electro-magnetic tissue properties study group. Magn Reson Med 2024; 91:1834-1862. [PMID: 38247051 PMCID: PMC10950544 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.30006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
This article provides recommendations for implementing QSM for clinical brain research. It is a consensus of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, Electro-Magnetic Tissue Properties Study Group. While QSM technical development continues to advance rapidly, the current QSM methods have been demonstrated to be repeatable and reproducible for generating quantitative tissue magnetic susceptibility maps in the brain. However, the many QSM approaches available have generated a need in the neuroimaging community for guidelines on implementation. This article outlines considerations and implementation recommendations for QSM data acquisition, processing, analysis, and publication. We recommend that data be acquired using a monopolar 3D multi-echo gradient echo (GRE) sequence and that phase images be saved and exported in Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) format and unwrapped using an exact unwrapping approach. Multi-echo images should be combined before background field removal, and a brain mask created using a brain extraction tool with the incorporation of phase-quality-based masking. Background fields within the brain mask should be removed using a technique based on SHARP or PDF, and the optimization approach to dipole inversion should be employed with a sparsity-based regularization. Susceptibility values should be measured relative to a specified reference, including the common reference region of the whole brain as a region of interest in the analysis. The minimum acquisition and processing details required when reporting QSM results are also provided. These recommendations should facilitate clinical QSM research and promote harmonized data acquisition, analysis, and reporting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berkin Bilgic
- Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mauro Costagli
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Sciences (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Kwok-Shing Chan
- Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jeff Duyn
- Advanced MRI Section, NINDS, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Jongho Lee
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Xu Li
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Chunlei Liu
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - José P Marques
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Carlos Milovic
- School of Electrical Engineering (EIE), Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
| | - Simon Daniel Robinson
- High Field MR Centre, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Centre of Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Ferdinand Schweser
- Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
- Center for Biomedical Imaging, Clinical and Translational Science Institute at the University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Karin Shmueli
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - Pascal Spincemaille
- MRI Research Institute, Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Sina Straub
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
| | - Peter van Zijl
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Yi Wang
- MRI Research Institute, Departments of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, New York, New York, USA
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Donatelli G, Migaleddu G, Cencini M, Cecchi P, D'Amelio C, Peretti L, Buonincontri G, Tosetti M, Costagli M, Cosottini M. Detection of pathological contrast enhancement with synthetic brain imaging from quantitative multiparametric MRI. J Neuroimaging 2024. [PMID: 38590085 DOI: 10.1111/jon.13201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2024] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE We aimed to test whether synthetic T1-weighted imaging derived from a post-contrast Quantitative Transient-state Imaging (QTI) acquisition enabled revealing pathological contrast enhancement in intracranial lesions. METHODS The analysis included 141 patients who underwent a 3 Tesla-MRI brain exam with intravenous contrast media administration, with the post-contrast acquisition protocol comprising a three-dimensional fast spoiled gradient echo (FSPGR) sequence and a QTI acquisition. Synthetic T1-weighted images were generated from QTI-derived quantitative maps of relaxation times and proton density. Two neuroradiologists assessed synthetic and conventional post-contrast T1-weighted images for the presence and pattern of pathological contrast enhancement in intracranial lesions. Enhancement volumes were quantitatively compared. RESULTS Using conventional imaging as a reference, synthetic T1-weighted imaging was 93% sensitive in revealing the presence of contrast enhancing lesions. The agreement for the presence/absence of contrast enhancement was almost perfect both between readers (k = 1 for both conventional and synthetic imaging) and between sequences (k = 0.98 for both readers). In 91% of lesions, synthetic T1-weighted imaging showed the same pattern of contrast enhancement visible in conventional imaging. Differences in enhancement pattern in the remaining lesions can be due to the lower spatial resolution and the longer acquisition delay from contrast media administration of QTI compared to FSPGR. Overall, enhancement volumes appeared larger in synthetic imaging. CONCLUSIONS QTI-derived post-contrast synthetic T1-weighted imaging captures pathological contrast enhancement in most intracranial enhancing lesions. Further comparative studies employing quantitative imaging with higher spatial resolution is needed to support our data and explore possible future applications in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graziella Donatelli
- Neuroradiology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
- Imago7 Research Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Matteo Cencini
- Pisa Division, National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), Pisa, Italy
| | - Paolo Cecchi
- Neuroradiology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
- Imago7 Research Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Claudio D'Amelio
- Neuroradiology Unit, Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Luca Peretti
- Imago7 Research Foundation, Pisa, Italy
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Guido Buonincontri
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Michela Tosetti
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Mauro Costagli
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Sciences (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Mirco Cosottini
- Neuroradiology Unit, Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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Celardo G, Scaffei E, Buchignani B, Donatelli G, Costagli M, Cristofani P, Canapicchi R, Pasquariello R, Tosetti M, Battini R, Biagi L. Case report: Exploring chemoradiotherapy-induced leukoencephalopathy with 7T imaging and quantitative susceptibility mapping. Front Neurol 2024; 15:1362704. [PMID: 38419703 PMCID: PMC10899325 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1362704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are widely used in the treatment of central nervous system tumors and acute lymphocytic leukemia even in the pediatric population. However, such treatments run the risk of a broad spectrum of cognitive and neurological deficits. Even though the correlation with cognitive decline is still not clear, neuroradiological defects linked to white matter injury and vasculopathies may be identified. Thanks to the use of 7T MRI it is possible to better define the vascular pattern of the brain lesions with the added advantage of identifying their characteristics and anatomical localization, which, however, are not evident with a conventional brain scan. Moreover, the use of Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM) makes it possible to discriminate between calcium deposits on vessels (chemo-radiation-induced) and hemoglobin deposition in radio-induced cavernomas, speculating, as a result, about the pathophysiology of iatrogenic brain damage. We describe the case of a 9 year-old boy with a T-type acute lymphoid leukemia who had previously been treated with polychemotherapy and high-dose RT. To better define the child's neuroradiological pattern, 7T MRI and QSM were performed in addition to conventional imaging examinations. Our case report suggests the potential usefulness of a QSM study to distinguish radio-induced vascular malformations from mineralizing microangiopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaetano Celardo
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Elena Scaffei
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Bianca Buchignani
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies Pisa University, Pisa, Italy
| | - Graziella Donatelli
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies Pisa University, Pisa, Italy
- Imago 7 Research Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Mauro Costagli
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Paola Cristofani
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Raffaello Canapicchi
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Rosa Pasquariello
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Michela Tosetti
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Roberta Battini
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Laura Biagi
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy
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Donatelli G, Emmi A, Costagli M, Cecchi P, Macchi V, Biagi L, Lancione M, Tosetti M, Porzionato A, De Caro R, Cosottini M. Brainstem anatomy with 7-T MRI: in vivo assessment and ex vivo comparison. Eur Radiol Exp 2023; 7:71. [PMID: 37968363 PMCID: PMC10651583 DOI: 10.1186/s41747-023-00389-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The brainstem contains grey matter nuclei and white matter tracts to be identified in clinical practice. The small size and the low contrast among them make their in vivo visualisation challenging using conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences at high magnetic field strengths. Combining higher spatial resolution, signal- and contrast-to-noise ratio and sensitivity to magnetic susceptibility (χ), susceptibility-weighted 7-T imaging could improve the assessment of brainstem anatomy. METHODS We acquired high-resolution 7-T MRI of the brainstem in a 46-year-old female healthy volunteer (using a three-dimensional multi-echo gradient-recalled-echo sequence; spatial resolution 0.3 × 0.3 × 1.2 mm3) and in a brainstem sample from a 48-year-old female body donor that was sectioned and stained. Images were visually assessed; nuclei and tracts were labelled and named according to the official nomenclature. RESULTS This in vivo imaging revealed structures usually evaluated through light microscopy, such as the accessory olivary nuclei, oculomotor nucleus and the medial longitudinal fasciculus. Some fibre tracts, such as the medial lemniscus, were visible for most of their course. Overall, in in vivo acquisitions, χ and frequency maps performed better than T2*-weighted imaging and allowed for the evaluation of a greater number of anatomical structures. All the structures identified in vivo were confirmed by the ex vivo imaging and histology. CONCLUSIONS The use of multi-echo GRE sequences at 7 T allowed the visualisation of brainstem structures that are not visible in detail at conventional magnetic field and opens new perspectives in the diagnostic and therapeutical approach to brain disorders. RELEVANCE STATEMENT In vivo MR imaging at UHF provides detailed anatomy of CNS substructures comparable to that obtained with histology. Anatomical details are fundamentals for diagnostic purposes but also to plan a direct targeting for a minimally invasive brain stimulation or ablation. KEY POINTS • The in vivo brainstem anatomy was explored with ultrahigh field MRI (7 T). • In vivo T2*-weighted magnitude, χ, and frequency images revealed many brainstem structures. • Ex vivo imaging and histology confirmed all the structures identified in vivo. • χ and frequency imaging revealed more brainstem structures than magnitude imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graziella Donatelli
- Neuroradiology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
- Imago7 Research Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Aron Emmi
- Department of Neuroscience, Institute of Human Anatomy, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research (CESNE), University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Mauro Costagli
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Sciences (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paolo Cecchi
- Neuroradiology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
- Imago7 Research Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Veronica Macchi
- Department of Neuroscience, Institute of Human Anatomy, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research (CESNE), University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Laura Biagi
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Marta Lancione
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Michela Tosetti
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Andrea Porzionato
- Department of Neuroscience, Institute of Human Anatomy, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research (CESNE), University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Raffaele De Caro
- Department of Neuroscience, Institute of Human Anatomy, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research (CESNE), University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Mirco Cosottini
- Department of Translational Research On New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, Neuroradiology Unit, University of Pisa, 56124, Pisa, Italy.
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Donatelli G, Cecchi P, Migaleddu G, Cencini M, Frumento P, D'Amelio C, Peretti L, Buonincontri G, Pasquali L, Tosetti M, Cosottini M, Costagli M. Quantitative T1 mapping detects blood-brain barrier breakdown in apparently non-enhancing multiple sclerosis lesions. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 40:103509. [PMID: 37717382 PMCID: PMC10514220 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a key and early feature in the pathogenesis of demyelinating multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions and has been neuropathologically demonstrated in both active and chronic plaques. The local overt BBB disruption in acute demyelinating lesions is captured as signal hyperintensity in post-contrast T1-weighted images because of the contrast-related shortening of the T1 relaxation time. On the contrary, the subtle BBB disruption in chronic lesions is not visible at conventional radiological evaluation but it might be of clinical relevance. Indeed, persistent, subtle BBB leakage might be linked to low-grade inflammation and plaque evolution. Here we hypothesised that 3D Quantitative Transient-state Imaging (QTI) was able to reveal and measure T1 shortening (ΔT1) reflecting small amounts of contrast media leakage in apparently non-enhancing lesions (ANELs). MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty-four patients with relapsing remitting MS were included in the study. All patients underwent a 3 T MRI exam of the brain including conventional sequences and QTI acquisitions (1.1 mm isotropic voxel) performed both before and after contrast media administration. For each patient, a ΔT1 map was obtained via voxel-wise subtraction of pre- and post- contrast QTI-derived T1 maps. ΔT1 values measured in ANELs were compared with those recorded in enhancing lesions and in the normal appearing white matter. A reference distribution of ΔT1 in the white matter was obtained from datasets acquired in 10 non-MS patients with unrevealing MR imaging. RESULTS Mean ΔT1 in ANELs (57.45 ± 48.27 ms) was significantly lower than in enhancing lesions (297.71 ± 177.52 ms; p < 0. 0001) and higher than in the normal appearing white matter (36.57 ± 10.53 ms; p < 0.005). Fifty-two percent of ANELs exhibited ΔT1 higher than those observed in the white matter of non-MS patients. CONCLUSIONS QTI-derived quantitative ΔT1 mapping enabled to measure contrast-related T1 shortening in ANELs. ANELs exhibiting ΔT1 values that deviate from the reference distribution in non-MS patients may indicate persistent, subtle, BBB disruption. Access to this information may be proved useful to better characterise pathology and objectively monitor disease activity and response to therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graziella Donatelli
- Neuroradiology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy; Imago7 Research Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paolo Cecchi
- Neuroradiology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy; Imago7 Research Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Matteo Cencini
- National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), Pisa Division, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paolo Frumento
- Department of Political Sciences, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Claudio D'Amelio
- Neuroradiology Unit, Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Luca Peretti
- Imago7 Research Foundation, Pisa, Italy; Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Guido Buonincontri
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Livia Pasquali
- Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Michela Tosetti
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Mirco Cosottini
- Neuroradiology Unit, Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Mauro Costagli
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy; Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Sciences (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
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6
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Peretti L, Donatelli G, Cencini M, Cecchi P, Buonincontri G, Cosottini M, Tosetti M, Costagli M. Generating Synthetic Radiological Images with PySynthMRI: An Open-Source Cross-Platform Tool. Tomography 2023; 9:1723-1733. [PMID: 37736990 PMCID: PMC10514862 DOI: 10.3390/tomography9050137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Synthetic MR Imaging allows for the reconstruction of different image contrasts from a single acquisition, reducing scan times. Commercial products that implement synthetic MRI are used in research. They rely on vendor-specific acquisitions and do not include the possibility of using custom multiparametric imaging techniques. We introduce PySynthMRI, an open-source tool with a user-friendly interface that uses a set of input images to generate synthetic images with diverse radiological contrasts by varying representative parameters of the desired target sequence, including the echo time, repetition time and inversion time(s). PySynthMRI is written in Python 3.6, and it can be executed under Linux, Windows, or MacOS as a python script or an executable. The tool is free and open source and is developed while taking into consideration the possibility of software customization by the end user. PySynthMRI generates synthetic images by calculating the pixelwise signal intensity as a function of a set of input images (e.g., T1 and T2 maps) and simulated scanner parameters chosen by the user via a graphical interface. The distribution provides a set of default synthetic contrasts, including T1w gradient echo, T2w spin echo, FLAIR and Double Inversion Recovery. The synthetic images can be exported in DICOM or NiFTI format. PySynthMRI allows for the fast synthetization of differently weighted MR images based on quantitative maps. Specialists can use the provided signal models to retrospectively generate contrasts and add custom ones. The modular architecture of the tool can be exploited to add new features without impacting the codebase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Peretti
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, 56128 Pisa, Italy; (L.P.)
- Imago 7 Research Foundation, 56128 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Computer Science, University of Pisa, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Graziella Donatelli
- Imago 7 Research Foundation, 56128 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Matteo Cencini
- Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN), Section of Pisa, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Paolo Cecchi
- Imago 7 Research Foundation, 56128 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Guido Buonincontri
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, 56128 Pisa, Italy; (L.P.)
| | - Mirco Cosottini
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Michela Tosetti
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, 56128 Pisa, Italy; (L.P.)
| | - Mauro Costagli
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, 56128 Pisa, Italy; (L.P.)
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Sciences (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
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Schiavi S, Palombo M, Zacà D, Tazza F, Lapucci C, Castellan L, Costagli M, Inglese M. Mapping tissue microstructure across the human brain on a clinical scanner with soma and neurite density image metrics. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:4792-4811. [PMID: 37461286 PMCID: PMC10400787 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Soma and neurite density image (SANDI) is an advanced diffusion magnetic resonance imaging biophysical signal model devised to probe in vivo microstructural information in the gray matter (GM). This model requires acquisitions that include b values that are at least six times higher than those used in clinical practice. Such high b values are required to disentangle the signal contribution of water diffusing in soma from that diffusing in neurites and extracellular space, while keeping the diffusion time as short as possible to minimize potential bias due to water exchange. These requirements have limited the use of SANDI only to preclinical or cutting-edge human scanners. Here, we investigate the potential impact of neglecting water exchange in the SANDI model and present a 10-min acquisition protocol that enables to characterize both GM and white matter (WM) on 3 T scanners. We implemented analytical simulations to (i) evaluate the stability of the fitting of SANDI parameters when diminishing the number of shells; (ii) estimate the bias due to potential exchange between neurites and extracellular space in such reduced acquisition scheme, comparing it with the bias due to experimental noise. Then, we demonstrated the feasibility and assessed the repeatability and reproducibility of our approach by computing microstructural metrics of SANDI with AMICO toolbox and other state-of-the-art models on five healthy subjects. Finally, we applied our protocol to five multiple sclerosis patients. Results suggest that SANDI is a practical method to characterize WM and GM tissues in vivo on performant clinical scanners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Schiavi
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI)University of GenoaGenoaItaly
| | - Marco Palombo
- CUBRIC, School of PsychologyCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
- School of Computer Science and InformaticsCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
| | | | - Francesco Tazza
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI)University of GenoaGenoaItaly
| | - Caterina Lapucci
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI)University of GenoaGenoaItaly
- HNSR, IRRCS Ospedale Policlinico San MartinoGenoaItaly
| | - Lucio Castellan
- Department of NeuroradiologyIRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San MartinoGenoaItaly
| | - Mauro Costagli
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI)University of GenoaGenoaItaly
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic ResonanceIRCCS Stella MarisPisaItaly
| | - Matilde Inglese
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI)University of GenoaGenoaItaly
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San MartinoGenoaItaly
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Bilgic B, Costagli M, Chan KS, Duyn J, Langkammer C, Lee J, Li X, Liu C, Marques JP, Milovic C, Robinson S, Schweser F, Shmueli K, Spincemaille P, Straub S, van Zijl P, Wang Y. Recommended Implementation of Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping for Clinical Research in The Brain: A Consensus of the ISMRM Electro-Magnetic Tissue Properties Study Group. ArXiv 2023:arXiv:2307.02306v1. [PMID: 37461418 PMCID: PMC10350101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
This article provides recommendations for implementing quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) for clinical brain research. It is a consensus of the ISMRM Electro-Magnetic Tissue Properties Study Group. While QSM technical development continues to advance rapidly, the current QSM methods have been demonstrated to be repeatable and reproducible for generating quantitative tissue magnetic susceptibility maps in the brain. However, the many QSM approaches available give rise to the need in the neuroimaging community for guidelines on implementation. This article describes relevant considerations and provides specific implementation recommendations for all steps in QSM data acquisition, processing, analysis, and presentation in scientific publications. We recommend that data be acquired using a monopolar 3D multi-echo GRE sequence, that phase images be saved and exported in DICOM format and unwrapped using an exact unwrapping approach. Multi-echo images should be combined before background removal, and a brain mask created using a brain extraction tool with the incorporation of phase-quality-based masking. Background fields should be removed within the brain mask using a technique based on SHARP or PDF, and the optimization approach to dipole inversion should be employed with a sparsity-based regularization. Susceptibility values should be measured relative to a specified reference, including the common reference region of whole brain as a region of interest in the analysis, and QSM results should be reported with - as a minimum - the acquisition and processing specifications listed in the last section of the article. These recommendations should facilitate clinical QSM research and lead to increased harmonization in data acquisition, analysis, and reporting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berkin Bilgic
- Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States
| | - Mauro Costagli
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Sciences (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Kwok-Shing Chan
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Jeff Duyn
- Advanced MRI Section, NINDS, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | | | - Jongho Lee
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Xu Li
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Chunlei Liu
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - José P Marques
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Carlos Milovic
- School of Electrical Engineering (EIE), Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
| | - Simon Robinson
- High Field MR Centre, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Ferdinand Schweser
- Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
- Center for Biomedical Imaging, Clinical and Translational Science Institute at the University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - Karin Shmueli
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - Pascal Spincemaille
- MRI Research Institute, Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Sina Straub
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, United States
| | - Peter van Zijl
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Yi Wang
- MRI Research Institute, Departments of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
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Ferraro PM, Gualco L, Costagli M, Schiavi S, Ponzano M, Signori A, Massa F, Pardini M, Castellan L, Levrero F, Zacà D, Piredda GF, Hilbert T, Kober T, Roccatagliata L. Compressed sensing (CS) MP2RAGE versus standard MPRAGE: A comparison of derived brain volume measurements. Phys Med 2022; 103:166-174. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2022.10.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
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10
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Lancione M, Bosco P, Costagli M, Nigri A, Aquino D, Carne I, Ferraro S, Giulietti G, Napolitano A, Palesi F, Pavone L, Pirastru A, Savini G, Tagliavini F, Bruzzone MG, Gandini Wheeler-Kingshott CA, Tosetti M, Biagi L. Multi-centre and multi-vendor reproducibility of a standardized protocol for quantitative susceptibility Mapping of the human brain at 3T. Phys Med 2022; 103:37-45. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2022.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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11
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Lancione M, Donatelli G, Del Prete E, Campese N, Frosini D, Cencini M, Costagli M, Biagi L, Lucchi G, Tosetti M, Godani M, Arnaldi D, Terzaghi M, Provini F, Pacchetti C, Cortelli P, Bonanni E, Ceravolo R, Cosottini M. Evaluation of iron overload in nigrosome 1 via quantitative susceptibility mapping as a progression biomarker in prodromal stages of synucleinopathies. Neuroimage 2022; 260:119454. [PMID: 35810938 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Idiopathic rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) is a prodromal stage of α-synucleinopathies, such as Parkinson's disease (PD), which are characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra, associated with abnormal iron load. The assessment of presymptomatic biomarkers predicting the onset of neurodegenerative disorders is critical for monitoring early signs, screening patients for neuroprotective clinical trials and understanding the causal relationship between iron accumulation processes and disease development. Here, we used Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM) and 7T MRI to quantify iron deposition in Nigrosome 1 (N1) in early PD (ePD) patients, iRBD patients and healthy controls and investigated group differences and correlation with disease progression. We evaluated the radiological appearance of N1 and analyzed its iron content in 35 ePD, 30 iRBD patients and 14 healthy controls via T2*-weighted sequences and susceptibility (χ) maps. N1 regions of interest (ROIs) were manually drawn on control subjects and warped onto a study-specific template to obtain probabilistic N1 ROIs. For each subject the N1 with the highest mean χ was considered for statistical analysis. The appearance of N1 was rated pathological in 45% of iRBD patients. ePD patients showed increased N1 χ compared to iRBD patients and HC but no correlation with disease duration, indicating that iron load remains stable during the early stages of disease progression. Although no difference was reported in iron content between iRBD and HC, N1 χ in the iRBD group increases as the disease evolves. QSM can reveal temporal changes in N1 iron content and its quantification may represent a valuable presymptomatic biomarker to assess neurodegeneration in the prodromal stages of PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Lancione
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy; Imago7 Research Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Graziella Donatelli
- Imago7 Research Foundation, Pisa, Italy; Neuroradiology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Eleonora Del Prete
- Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Nicole Campese
- Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Daniela Frosini
- Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Matteo Cencini
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy; Imago7 Research Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Mauro Costagli
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy; Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Sciences (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Laura Biagi
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy; Imago7 Research Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Giacomo Lucchi
- Neuroradiology Unit, Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Michela Tosetti
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy; Imago7 Research Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Dario Arnaldi
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Sciences (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Michele Terzaghi
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy; IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Federica Provini
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Clinica Neurologica Rete Metropolitana, Bologna, Italy; Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Claudio Pacchetti
- Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Pietro Cortelli
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Clinica Neurologica Rete Metropolitana, Bologna, Italy; Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Enrica Bonanni
- Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Roberto Ceravolo
- Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Mirco Cosottini
- Neuroradiology Unit, Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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Costagli M, Lapucci C, Zacà D, Bruschi N, Schiavi S, Castellan L, Stemmer A, Roccatagliata L, Inglese M. Improved detection of multiple sclerosis lesions with T2-prepared double inversion recovery at 3T. J Neuroimaging 2022; 32:902-909. [PMID: 35776654 PMCID: PMC9544719 DOI: 10.1111/jon.13021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Double inversion recovery (DIR) imaging is used in multiple sclerosis (MS) clinical protocols to improve the detection of cortical and juxtacortical gray matter lesions by nulling confounding signals originating from the cerebrospinal fluid and white matter. Achieving a high isotropic spatial resolution, to depict the neocortex and its typically small lesions, is challenged by the reduced signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) determined by multiple tissue signal nulling. Here, we evaluate both conventional and optimized DIR implementations to improve tissue contrast (TC), SNR, and MS lesion conspicuity. METHODS DIR images were obtained from MS patients and healthy controls using both conventional and prototype implementations featuring a T2-preparation module (T2P), to improve SNR and TC, as well as an image reconstruction routine with iterative denoising (ID). We obtained quantitative measures of SNR and TC, and evaluated the visibility of MS cortical, cervical cord, and optic nerve lesions in the different DIR images. RESULTS DIR implementations adopting T2P and ID enabled improving the SNR and TC of conventional DIR. In MS patients, 34% of cortical, optic nerve, and cervical cord lesions were visible only in DIR images acquired with T2P, and not in conventional DIR images. In the studied cases, image reconstruction with ID did not improve lesion conspicuity. CONCLUSIONS DIR with T2P should be preferred to conventional DIR imaging in protocols studying MS patients, as it improves SNR and TC and determines an improvement in cortical, optic nerve, and cervical cord lesion conspicuity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauro Costagli
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Sciences (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genova, Italy.,Laboratory of Medical Physicsand Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Caterina Lapucci
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Sciences (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genova, Italy.,IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
| | | | - Nicolò Bruschi
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Sciences (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genova, Italy
| | - Simona Schiavi
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Sciences (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genova, Italy
| | | | | | - Luca Roccatagliata
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy.,Department of Health Sciences (DISSAL), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Matilde Inglese
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Sciences (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genova, Italy.,IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
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13
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Mazzucchi S, Del Prete E, Costagli M, Frosini D, Paoli D, Migaleddu G, Cecchi P, Donatelli G, Morganti R, Siciliano G, Cosottini M, Ceravolo R. Morphometric imaging and quantitative susceptibility mapping as complementary tools in the diagnosis of parkinsonisms. Eur J Neurol 2022; 29:2944-2955. [PMID: 35700041 PMCID: PMC9545010 DOI: 10.1111/ene.15447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Background and purpose In the quest for in vivo diagnostic biomarkers to discriminate Parkinson's disease (PD) from progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and multiple system atrophy (MSA, mainly p phenotype), many advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques have been studied. Morphometric indices, such as the Magnetic Resonance Parkinsonism Index (MRPI), demonstrated high diagnostic value in the comparison between PD and PSP. The potential of quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) was hypothesized, as increased magnetic susceptibility (Δχ) was reported in the red nucleus (RN) and medial part of the substantia nigra (SNImed) of PSP patients and in the putamen of MSA patients. However, disease‐specific susceptibility values for relevant regions of interest are yet to be identified. The aims of the study were to evaluate the diagnostic potential of a multimodal MRI protocol combining morphometric and QSM imaging in patients with determined parkinsonisms and to explore its value in a population of undetermined cases. Method Patients with suspected degenerative parkinsonism underwent clinical evaluation, 3 T brain MRI and clinical follow‐up. The MRPI was manually calculated on T1‐weighted images. QSM maps were generated from 3D multi‐echo T2*‐weighted sequences. Results In determined cases the morphometric evaluation confirmed optimal diagnostic accuracy in the comparison between PD and PSP but failed to discriminate PD from MSA‐p. Significant nigral and extranigral differences were found with QSM. RN Δχ showed excellent diagnostic accuracy in the comparison between PD and PSP and good accuracy in the comparison of PD and MSA‐p. Optimal susceptibility cut‐off values of RN and SNImed were tested in undetermined cases in addition to MRPI. Conclusions A combined use of morphometric imaging and QSM could improve the diagnostic phase of degenerative parkinsonisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Mazzucchi
- Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Eleonora Del Prete
- Neurology Unit, Department of Medical Specialties, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | - Mauro Costagli
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Sciences (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.,Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Daniela Frosini
- Neurology Unit, Department of Medical Specialties, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | - Davide Paoli
- Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Paolo Cecchi
- Neuroradiology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | - Graziella Donatelli
- Neuroradiology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy.,Imago7 Research Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Gabriele Siciliano
- Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Mirco Cosottini
- Imago7 Research Foundation, Pisa, Italy.,Neuroradiology Unit, Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Roberto Ceravolo
- Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.,Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
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14
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Lancione M, Cencini M, Costagli M, Donatelli G, Tosetti M, Giannini G, Zangaglia R, Calandra-Buonaura G, Pacchetti C, Cortelli P, Cosottini M. Diagnostic accuracy of quantitative susceptibility mapping in multiple system atrophy: The impact of echo time and the potential of histogram analysis. Neuroimage Clin 2022; 34:102989. [PMID: 35303599 PMCID: PMC8927993 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.102989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
We performed histogram analysis on χ maps at different TEs on MSA patients and HC. We found altered χ distribution in Pu, SN, GP, CN for MSAp and in SN, DN for MSAc. QSM diagnostic accuracy is TE-dependent and is enhanced at short TEs. Short TEs capture rapidly-decaying contributions of high χ sources. Histogram features detect χ spatial heterogeneities improving diagnostic accuracy.
The non-invasive quantification of iron stores via Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM) could play an important role in the diagnosis and the differential diagnosis of atypical Parkinsonisms. However, the susceptibility (χ) values measured via QSM depend on echo time (TE). This effect relates to the microstructural organization within the voxel, whose composition can be altered by the disease. Moreover, pathological iron deposition in a brain area may not be spatially uniform, and conventional Region of Interest (ROI)-based analysis may fail in detecting alterations. Therefore, in this work we evaluated the impact of echo time on the diagnostic accuracy of QSM on a population of patients with Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) of either Parkinsonian (MSAp) or cerebellar (MSAc) phenotypes. In addition, we tested the potential of histogram analysis to improve QSM classification accuracy. We enrolled 32 patients (19 MSAp and 13 MSAc) and 16 healthy controls, who underwent a 7T MRI session including a gradient-recalled multi-echo sequence for χ mapping. Nine histogram features were extracted from the χ maps computed for each TE in atlas-based ROIs covering deep brain nuclei, and compared among groups. Alterations of susceptibility distribution were found in the Putamen, Substantia Nigra, Globus Pallidus and Caudate Nucleus for MSAp and in the Substantia Nigra and Dentate Nucleus for MSAc. Increased iron deposition was observed in a larger number of ROIs for the two shortest TEs and the standard deviation, the 75th and the 90th percentile were the most informative features yielding excellent diagnostic accuracy with area under the ROC curve > 0.9. In conclusion, short TEs may enhance QSM diagnostic performances, as they can capture variations in rapidly-decaying contributions of high χ sources. The analysis of histogram features allowed to reveal fine heterogeneities in the spatial distribution of susceptibility alteration, otherwise undetected by a simple evaluation of ROI χ mean values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Lancione
- IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy; IMAGO7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Matteo Cencini
- IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy; IMAGO7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Mauro Costagli
- IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy; Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Sciences (DINOGMI), University of Genova, Genova, Italy.
| | - Graziella Donatelli
- IMAGO7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy; Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | - Michela Tosetti
- IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy; IMAGO7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Giulia Giannini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Neuromotorie, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy; IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Roberta Zangaglia
- Parkinson and Movement Disorder Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Giovanna Calandra-Buonaura
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Neuromotorie, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy; IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Claudio Pacchetti
- Parkinson and Movement Disorder Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Pietro Cortelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Neuromotorie, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy; IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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15
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Pirkl CM, Cencini M, Kurzawski JW, Waldmannstetter D, Li H, Sekuboyina A, Endt S, Peretti L, Donatelli G, Pasquariello R, Costagli M, Buonincontri G, Tosetti M, Menzel MI, Menze BH. Learning residual motion correction for fast and robust 3D multiparametric MRI. Med Image Anal 2022; 77:102387. [DOI: 10.1016/j.media.2022.102387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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16
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Donatelli G, Costagli M, Cecchi P, Migaleddu G, Bianchi F, Frumento P, Siciliano G, Cosottini M. Motor cortical patterns of upper motor neuron pathology in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A 3 T MRI study with iron-sensitive sequences. NeuroImage: Clinical 2022; 35:103138. [PMID: 36002961 PMCID: PMC9421531 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
M1 regions associated with the body site of onset are frequently affected at MRI. The simultaneous involvement of both homologous M1 regions is frequent. The T2* hypointensity in non-contiguous M1 regions seems rare.
Background Patterns of initiation and propagation of disease in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) are still partly unknown. Single or multiple foci of neurodegeneration followed by disease diffusion to contiguous or connected regions have been proposed as mechanisms underlying symptom occurrence. Here, we investigated cortical patterns of upper motor neuron (UMN) pathology in ALS using iron-sensitive MR imaging. Methods Signal intensity and magnetic susceptibility of the primary motor cortex (M1), which are associated with clinical UMN burden and neuroinflammation, were assessed in 78 ALS patients using respectively T2*-weighted images and Quantitative Susceptibility Maps. The signal intensity of the whole M1 and each of its functional regions was rated as normal or reduced, and the magnetic susceptibility of each M1 region was measured. Results The highest frequencies of T2* hypointensity were found in M1 regions associated with the body sites of symptom onset. Homologous M1 regions were both hypointense in 80–93 % of patients with cortical abnormalities, and magnetic susceptibility values measured in homologous M1 regions were strongly correlated with each other (ρ = 0.88; p < 0.0001). In some cases, the T2* hypointensity was detectable in two non-contiguous M1 regions but spared the cortex in between. Conclusions M1 regions associated with the body site of onset are frequently affected at imaging. The simultaneous involvement of both homologous M1 regions is frequent, followed by that of adjacent regions; the affection of non-contiguous regions, instead, seems rare. This type of cortical involvement suggests the interhemispheric connections as one of the preferential paths for the UMN pathology diffusion in ALS.
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Lancione M, Costagli M, Handjaras G, Tosetti M, Ricciardi E, Pietrini P, Cecchetti L. Complementing canonical fMRI with functional Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (fQSM) in modern neuroimaging research. Neuroimage 2021; 244:118574. [PMID: 34508897 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (fQSM) allows for the quantitative measurement of time-varying magnetic susceptibility across cortical and subcortical brain structures with a potentially higher spatial specificity than conventional fMRI. While the usefulness of fQSM with General Linear Model and "On/Off" paradigms has been assessed, little is known about the potential applications and limitations of this technique in more sophisticated experimental paradigms and analyses, such as those currently used in modern neuroimaging. To thoroughly characterize fQSM activations, here we used 7T MRI, tonotopic mapping, as well as univariate (i.e., GLM and population Receptive Field) and multivariate (Representational Similarity Analysis; RSA) analyses. Although fQSM detected less tone-responsive voxels than fMRI, they were more consistently localized in gray matter. Also, the majority of active gray matter voxels exhibited negative fQSM response, signaling the expected oxyhemoglobin increase, whereas positive fQSM activations were mainly in white matter. Though fMRI- and fQSM-based tonotopic maps were overall comparable, the representation of frequency tunings in tone-sensitive regions was significantly more balanced for fQSM. Lastly, RSA revealed that frequency information from the auditory cortex could be successfully retrieved by using either methods. Overall, fQSM produces complementary results to conventional fMRI, as it captures small-scale variations in the activation pattern which inform multivariate measures. Although positive fQSM responses deserve further investigation, they do not impair the interpretation of contrasts of interest. The quantitative nature of fQSM, its spatial specificity and the possibility to simultaneously acquire canonical fMRI support the use of this technique for longitudinal and multicentric studies and pre-surgical mapping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Lancione
- MoMiLab, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Piazza San Francesco, 19, Lucca 55100, Italy; IMAGO7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Mauro Costagli
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy; Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Sciences (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Giacomo Handjaras
- Social and Affective Neuroscience (SANe) Group, MoMiLab, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Lucca, Italy
| | - Michela Tosetti
- IMAGO7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy; Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Emiliano Ricciardi
- MoMiLab, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Piazza San Francesco, 19, Lucca 55100, Italy
| | - Pietro Pietrini
- MoMiLab, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Piazza San Francesco, 19, Lucca 55100, Italy
| | - Luca Cecchetti
- Social and Affective Neuroscience (SANe) Group, MoMiLab, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Lucca, Italy
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18
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Düzel E, Costagli M, Donatelli G, Speck O, Cosottini M. Studying Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with 7-T magnetic resonance. Eur Radiol Exp 2021; 5:36. [PMID: 34435242 PMCID: PMC8387546 DOI: 10.1186/s41747-021-00221-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ultra-high-field (UHF) magnetic resonance (MR) scanners, that is, equipment operating at static magnetic field of 7 tesla (7 T) and above, enable the acquisition of data with greatly improved signal-to-noise ratio with respect to conventional MR systems (e.g., scanners operating at 1.5 T and 3 T). The change in tissue relaxation times at UHF offers the opportunity to improve tissue contrast and depict features that were previously inaccessible. These potential advantages come, however, at a cost: in the majority of UHF-MR clinical protocols, potential drawbacks may include signal inhomogeneity, geometrical distortions, artifacts introduced by patient respiration, cardiac cycle, and motion. This article reviews the 7 T MR literature reporting the recent studies on the most widespread neurodegenerative diseases: Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emrah Düzel
- Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany. .,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany. .,University College London, London, UK.
| | - Mauro Costagli
- IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy.,University of Genoa, Genova, Italy
| | - Graziella Donatelli
- Fondazione Imago 7, Pisa, Italy.,Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | - Oliver Speck
- Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Mirco Cosottini
- Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy.,University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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19
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Benedetto A, Binda P, Costagli M, Tosetti M, Morrone MC. Predictive visuo-motor communication through neural oscillations. Curr Biol 2021; 31:3401-3408.e4. [PMID: 34111403 PMCID: PMC8360767 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The mechanisms coordinating action and perception over time are poorly understood. The sensory cortex needs to prepare for upcoming changes contingent on action, and this requires temporally precise communication that takes into account the variable delays between sensory and motor processing. Several theorists1,2 have proposed synchronization of the endogenous oscillatory activity observed in most regions of the brain3 as the basis for an efficient and flexible communication protocol between distal brain areas,2,4 a concept known as "communication through coherence." Synchronization of endogenous oscillations5,6 occurs after a salient sensory stimulus, such as a flash or a sound,7-11 and after a voluntary action,12-18 and this directly impacts perception, causing performance to oscillate rhythmically over time. Here we introduce a novel fMRI paradigm to probe the neural sources of oscillations, based on the concept of perturbative signals, which overcomes the low temporal resolution of BOLD signals. The assumption is that a synchronized endogenous rhythm will modulate cortical excitability rhythmically, which should be reflected in the BOLD responses to brief stimuli presented at different phases of the oscillation cycle. We record rhythmic oscillations of V1 BOLD synchronized by a simple voluntary action, in phase with behaviorally measured oscillations in visual sensitivity in the theta range. The functional connectivity between V1 and M1 also oscillates at the same rhythm. By demonstrating oscillatory temporal coupling between primary motor and sensory cortices, our results strongly implicate communication through coherence to achieve precise coordination and to encode sensory-motor timing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Benedetto
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paola Binda
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Mauro Costagli
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Sciences (DINOGMI), University of Genova, Genova, Italy; Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Michela Tosetti
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy; Imago 7 Research Foundation, Calambrone, Pisa, Italy
| | - Maria Concetta Morrone
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy.
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20
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Kurzawski JW, Cencini M, Peretti L, Gómez PA, Schulte RF, Donatelli G, Cosottini M, Cecchi P, Costagli M, Retico A, Tosetti M, Buonincontri G. Retrospective rigid motion correction of three-dimensional magnetic resonance fingerprinting of the human brain. Magn Reson Med 2020; 84:2606-2615. [PMID: 32368835 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.28301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To obtain three-dimensional (3D), quantitative and motion-robust imaging with magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF). METHODS Our acquisition is based on a 3D spiral projection k-space scheme. We compared different orderings of trajectory interleaves in terms of rigid motion-correction robustness. In all tested orderings, we considered the whole dataset as a sum of 56 segments of 7-s duration, acquired sequentially with the same flip angle schedule. We performed a separate image reconstruction for each segment, producing whole-brain navigators that were aligned to the first segment using normalized correlation. The estimated rigid motion was used to correct the k-space data, and the aligned data were matched with the dictionary to obtain motion-corrected maps. RESULTS A significant improvement on the motion-affected maps after motion correction is evident with the suppression of motion artifacts. Correlation with the motionless baseline improved by 20% on average for both T1 and T2 estimations after motion correction. In addition, the average motion-induced quantification bias of 70 ms for T1 and 18 ms for T2 values was reduced to 12 ms and 6 ms, respectively, improving the reliability of quantitative estimations. CONCLUSION We established a method that allows correcting 3D rigid motion on a 7-s timescale during the reconstruction of MRF data using self-navigators, improving the image quality and the quantification robustness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan W Kurzawski
- Pisa Division, National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), Pisa, Italy.,Imago7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Matteo Cencini
- Imago7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy.,IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Luca Peretti
- Imago7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy.,Department of Physics, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Pedro A Gómez
- Munich School of Bioengineering, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Graziella Donatelli
- Imago7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy.,Neuroradiology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | - Mirco Cosottini
- Imago7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy.,Department of Physics, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paolo Cecchi
- Neuroradiology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | - Mauro Costagli
- Imago7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy.,IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Alessandra Retico
- Pisa Division, National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), Pisa, Italy
| | - Michela Tosetti
- Imago7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy.,IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
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21
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Bartolini E, Cosottini M, Costagli M, Barba C, Tassi L, Spreafico R, Garbelli R, Biagi L, Buccoliero A, Giordano F, Guerrini R. Ultra-High-Field Targeted Imaging of Focal Cortical Dysplasia: The Intracortical Black Line Sign in Type IIb. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2019; 40:2137-2142. [PMID: 31727747 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a6298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Conventional MR imaging has limitations in detecting focal cortical dysplasia. We assessed the added value of 7T in patients with histologically proved focal cortical dysplasia to highlight correlations between neuropathology and ultra-high-field imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS Between 2013 and 2019, we performed a standardized 7T MR imaging protocol in patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy. We focused on 12 patients in whom postsurgical histopathology revealed focal cortical dysplasia and explored the diagnostic yield of preoperative 7T versus 1.5/3T MR imaging and the correlations of imaging findings with histopathology. We also assessed the relationship between epilepsy surgery outcome and the completeness of surgical removal of the MR imaging-visible structural abnormality. RESULTS We observed clear abnormalities in 10/12 patients using 7T versus 9/12 revealed by 1.5/3T MR imaging. In patients with focal cortical dysplasia I, 7T MR imaging did not disclose morphologic abnormalities (n = 0/2). In patients with focal cortical dysplasia II, 7T uncovered morphologic signs that were not visible on clinical imaging in 1 patient with focal cortical dysplasia IIa (n = 1/4) and in all those with focal cortical dysplasia IIb (n = 6/6). T2*WI provided the highest added value, disclosing a peculiar intracortical hypointense band (black line) in 5/6 patients with focal cortical dysplasia IIb. The complete removal of the black line was associated with good postsurgical outcome (n = 4/5), while its incomplete removal yielded unsatisfactory results (n = 1/5). CONCLUSIONS The high sensitivity of 7T T2*-weighted images provides an additional tool in defining potential morphologic markers of high epileptogenicity within the dysplastic tissue of focal cortical dysplasia IIb and will likely help to more precisely plan epilepsy surgery and explain surgical failures.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Bartolini
- From the Department of Pediatric Neurology (E.B., C.B., A.B., R. Guerrini).,Neurology Unit (E.B.), USL Centro Toscana, Nuovo Ospedale Santo Stefano, Prato, Italy
| | - M Cosottini
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery (M. Cosottini), University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - M Costagli
- IMAGO7 Research Foundation (M. Costagli), Pisa, Italy
| | - C Barba
- From the Department of Pediatric Neurology (E.B., C.B., A.B., R. Guerrini)
| | - L Tassi
- Epilepsy Surgery Centre C. Munari (L.T.), Ospedale Niguarda, Milano, Italy
| | - R Spreafico
- Clinical Epileptology and Experimental Neurophysiology Unit (R.S., R. Garbelli), Fondazione Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Istituto Neurologico C. Besta, Milano, Italy
| | - R Garbelli
- Clinical Epileptology and Experimental Neurophysiology Unit (R.S., R. Garbelli), Fondazione Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Istituto Neurologico C. Besta, Milano, Italy
| | - L Biagi
- Istituto Di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Fondazione Stella Maris (L.B., R. Guerrini), Pisa, Italy
| | - A Buccoliero
- From the Department of Pediatric Neurology (E.B., C.B., A.B., R. Guerrini)
| | - F Giordano
- Neurogenetics and Neurobiology Unit and Laboratories, and Pediatric Neurosurgery Unit (F.G.), Children's Hospital A. Meyer-University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - R Guerrini
- From the Department of Pediatric Neurology (E.B., C.B., A.B., R. Guerrini) .,Istituto Di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Fondazione Stella Maris (L.B., R. Guerrini), Pisa, Italy
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22
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Morrone MC, Benedetto A, Costagli M, Tosetti M, Binda P. Rythmic modulation of V1 BOLD response (7T) after a Voluntary action. J Vis 2019. [DOI: 10.1167/19.10.289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Concetta Morrone
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicines and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno 31, 56123 Pisa, Italy
- IRCCS Stella Maris, Calambrone, Pisa, Italy
| | - Alessandro Benedetto
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicines and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno 31, 56123 Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Michela Tosetti
- IRCCS Stella Maris, Calambrone, Pisa, Italy
- IMAGO 7, Calambrone, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paola Binda
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicines and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno 31, 56123 Pisa, Italy
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23
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Düzel E, Acosta-Cabronero J, Berron D, Biessels GJ, Björkman-Burtscher I, Bottlaender M, Bowtell R, Buchem MV, Cardenas-Blanco A, Boumezbeur F, Chan D, Clare S, Costagli M, de Rochefort L, Fillmer A, Gowland P, Hansson O, Hendrikse J, Kraff O, Ladd ME, Ronen I, Petersen E, Rowe JB, Siebner H, Stoecker T, Straub S, Tosetti M, Uludag K, Vignaud A, Zwanenburg J, Speck O. European Ultrahigh-Field Imaging Network for Neurodegenerative Diseases (EUFIND). Alzheimers Dement (Amst) 2019; 11:538-549. [PMID: 31388558 PMCID: PMC6675944 DOI: 10.1016/j.dadm.2019.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Introduction The goal of European Ultrahigh-Field Imaging Network in Neurodegenerative Diseases (EUFIND) is to identify opportunities and challenges of 7 Tesla (7T) MRI for clinical and research applications in neurodegeneration. EUFIND comprises 22 European and one US site, including over 50 MRI and dementia experts as well as neuroscientists. Methods EUFIND combined consensus workshops and data sharing for multisite analysis, focusing on 7 core topics: clinical applications/clinical research, highest resolution anatomy, functional imaging, vascular systems/vascular pathology, iron mapping and neuropathology detection, spectroscopy, and quality assurance. Across these topics, EUFIND considered standard operating procedures, safety, and multivendor harmonization. Results The clinical and research opportunities and challenges of 7T MRI in each subtopic are set out as a roadmap. Specific MRI sequences for each subtopic were implemented in a pilot study presented in this report. Results show that a large multisite 7T imaging network with highly advanced and harmonized imaging sequences is feasible and may enable future multicentre ultrahigh-field MRI studies and clinical trials. Discussion The EUFIND network can be a major driver for advancing clinical neuroimaging research using 7T and for identifying use-cases for clinical applications in neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emrah Düzel
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.,Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK.,Center for Behavioral Brain Science, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Julio Acosta-Cabronero
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.,Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - David Berron
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.,7Lund University BioImaging Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Geert Jan Biessels
- Department of Neurology, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Isabella Björkman-Burtscher
- 7Lund University BioImaging Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,Departement of Radiology, Sahlgrenska Akademy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | - Richard Bowtell
- Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Mark V Buchem
- Department of Radiology, University Medical Center Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Arturo Cardenas-Blanco
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Fawzi Boumezbeur
- NeuroSpin, CEA & Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-Sur-Yvette, France
| | - Dennis Chan
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Stuart Clare
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Mauro Costagli
- Imago 7 Research Foundation, Pisa, Italy.,Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Ludovic de Rochefort
- Center for Magnetic Resonance in Biology and Medicine (UMR 7339), CRMBM, CNRS - Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Ariane Fillmer
- Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Berlin, Germany
| | - Penny Gowland
- Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Oskar Hansson
- 7Lund University BioImaging Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,Memory Clinic, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Jeroen Hendrikse
- Department of Neurology, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Oliver Kraff
- Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Mark E Ladd
- Medical Physics in Radiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.,Faculty of Physics and Astronomy and Faculty of Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Itamar Ronen
- Department of Radiology, University Medical Center Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Esben Petersen
- Danish Center for Magnetic Resonance, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - James B Rowe
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Hartwig Siebner
- Danish Center for Magnetic Resonance, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark.,Department of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Tony Stoecker
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
| | - Sina Straub
- Medical Physics in Radiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michela Tosetti
- Imago 7 Research Foundation, Pisa, Italy.,Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Kamil Uludag
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea.,Techna Institute & Koerner Scientist in MR Imaging, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Jaco Zwanenburg
- Department of Neurology, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Oliver Speck
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.,Center for Behavioral Brain Science, Magdeburg, Germany.,Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany.,Leibniz-Institute for Neurobiology (LIN), Magdeburg, Germany
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24
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Donatelli G, Caldarazzo Ienco E, Costagli M, Migaleddu G, Cecchi P, Siciliano G, Cosottini M. MRI cortical feature of bulbar impairment in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neuroimage Clin 2019; 24:101934. [PMID: 31377555 PMCID: PMC6698695 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Revised: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/13/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The decline of voluntary bulbar functions such as speech and swallowing are among the clinical manifestations of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) influencing a worst prognosis. Differential diagnosis between the contribution of upper motor neuron (UMN) and lower motor neuron degeneration to the bulbar impairment is often hard. Thinning and T2* hypointensity of the primary motor cortex have been recently suggested as possible MRI markers of UMN impairment in ALS patients, but little research has purposely targeted the orofacial region of the primary motor cortex (fM1). With the aim of finding an MRI marker of UMN impairment responsible for bulbar dysfunction, we investigated the T2* signal intensity of fM1 and the relationship with bulbar impairment in ALS patients. Fifty-five ALS patients were examined with 3 T MRI. Their fM1 was evaluated both qualitatively in terms of T2* signal intensity and quantitatively by measuring its magnetic susceptibility with Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM). Bulbar functions were assessed clinically, by neurological examination and using the items 1–3 of the ALSFRS-R, and with neurophysiological tests. The marked hypointensity of fM1 was detected in 25% of ALS patients, including all patients with bulbar onset, and was 74% sensitive, 100% specific and 91% accurate in diagnosing functional bulbar impairment. Such hypointensity involved the middle and ventral part of fM1 and was usually visible in both hemispheres. The magnetic susceptibility was significantly higher in patients with marked fM1 hypointensity than in the other patients (p ≤ .001). The relationship with clinical and neurophysiological data suggests that such feature could be a marker of UMN degeneration for voluntary bulbar functions. T2* hypointensity was assessed in the orofacial region of M1 (fM1) of ALS patients. All ALS patients with marked T2* hypointensity of fM1 had bulbar impairment (BI). The marked T2* hypointensity of fM1 was 91% accurate in diagnosing BI. fM1 hypointensity can be a marker of upper motor neuron degeneration causing BI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graziella Donatelli
- Imago7 Research Foundation, Pisa, Italy; Neuroradiology Unit, Azienda Ospadaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | - Elena Caldarazzo Ienco
- Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Mauro Costagli
- Imago7 Research Foundation, Pisa, Italy; Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Gianmichele Migaleddu
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paolo Cecchi
- Neuroradiology Unit, Azienda Ospadaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | - Gabriele Siciliano
- Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Mirco Cosottini
- Neuroradiology Unit, Azienda Ospadaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy; Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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25
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Costagli M, Lancione M, Cecchetti L, Pietrini P, Cosottini M, Ricciardi E, Tosetti M. Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping of Brain Function During Auditory Stimulation. IEEE Trans Radiat Plasma Med Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1109/trpms.2019.2894262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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26
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Lancione M, Donatelli G, Cecchi P, Cosottini M, Tosetti M, Costagli M. Echo-time dependency of quantitative susceptibility mapping reproducibility at different magnetic field strengths. Neuroimage 2019; 197:557-564. [PMID: 31075389 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Revised: 04/10/2019] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM) provides a way of measuring iron concentration and myelination non-invasively and has the potential of becoming a tool of paramount importance in the study of a host of different pathologies. However, several experimental factors and the physical properties of magnetic susceptibility (χ) can impair the reliability of QSM, and it is therefore essential to assess QSM reproducibility for repeated acquisitions and different field strength. In particular, it has recently been demonstrated that QSM measurements strongly depend on echo time (TE): the same tissue, measured on the same scanner, exhibits different apparent frequency shifts depending on the TE used. This study aims to assess the influence of TE on intra-scanner and inter-scanner reproducibility of QSM, by using MRI systems operating at 3T and 7T. To maximize intra-scanner reproducibility it is necessary to match the TEs of the acquisition protocol, but the application of this rule leads to inconsistent QSM values across scanners operating at different static magnetic field. This study however demonstrates that, provided a careful choice of acquisition parameters, and in particular by using TEs at 3T that are approximately 2.6 times longer than those at 7T, highly reproducible whole-brain χ maps can be achieved also across different scanners, which renders QSM a suitable technique for longitudinal follow-up in clinical settings and in multi-center studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Graziella Donatelli
- IMAGO7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy; Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paolo Cecchi
- Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Michela Tosetti
- IMAGO7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy; IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Mauro Costagli
- IMAGO7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy; IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
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27
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Schulte RF, Buonincontri G, Costagli M, Menini A, Wiesinger F, Solana AB. Silent T
2
*
and T
2
encoding using ZTE combined with BURST. Magn Reson Med 2018; 81:2277-2287. [DOI: 10.1002/mrm.27552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Revised: 08/02/2018] [Accepted: 09/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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28
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Lancione M, Lettieri G, Handjaras G, Costagli M, Pietrini P, Cecchetti L, Ricciardi E. Fine-grained tonotopic architecture is retrieved from resting state connectivity in the auditory cortex. Int J Psychophysiol 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2018.07.481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Donatelli G, Retico A, Caldarazzo Ienco E, Cecchi P, Costagli M, Frosini D, Biagi L, Tosetti M, Siciliano G, Cosottini M. Semiautomated Evaluation of the Primary Motor Cortex in Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis at 3T. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2017; 39:63-69. [PMID: 29122765 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a5423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2017] [Accepted: 08/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease involving the upper and lower motor neurons. In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, pathologic changes in the primary motor cortex include Betz cell depletion and the presence of reactive iron-loaded microglia, detectable on 7T MR images as atrophy and T2*-hypointensity. Our purposes were the following: 1) to investigate the signal hypointensity-to-thickness ratio of the primary motor cortex as a radiologic marker of upper motor neuron involvement in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with a semiautomated method at 3T, 2) to compare 3T and 7T results, and 3) to evaluate whether semiautomated measurement outperforms visual image assessment. MATERIALS AND METHODS We investigated 27 patients and 13 healthy subjects at 3T, and 19 patients and 18 healthy subjects at 7T, performing a high-resolution 3D multiecho T2*-weighted sequence targeting the primary motor cortex. The signal hypointensity-to-thickness ratio of the primary motor cortex was calculated with a semiautomated method depicting signal intensity profiles of the cortex. Images were also visually classified as "pathologic" or "nonpathologic" based on the primary motor cortex signal intensity and thickness. RESULTS The signal hypointensity-to-thickness ratio of the primary motor cortex was greater in patients than in controls (P < .001), and it correlated with upper motor neuron impairment in patients (ρ = 0.57, P < .001). The diagnostic accuracy of the signal hypointensity-to-thickness ratio was high at 3T (area under the curve = 0.89) and even higher at 7T (area under the curve = 0.94). The sensitivity of the semiautomated method (0.81) outperformed the sensitivity of the visual assessment (0.56-0.63) at 3T. CONCLUSIONS The signal hypointensity-to-thickness ratio of the primary motor cortex calculated with a semiautomated method is suggested as a radiologic marker of upper motor neuron burden in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This semiautomated method may be useful for improving the subjective radiologic evaluation of upper motor neuron pathology in patients suspected of having amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Donatelli
- From the Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery (G.D., P.C., M. Cosottini)
| | - A Retico
- National Institute for Nuclear Physics (A.R.), Pisa Division, Pisa, Italy
| | - E Caldarazzo Ienco
- Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine (E.C.I., D.F., G.S.), University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - P Cecchi
- From the Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery (G.D., P.C., M. Cosottini)
| | - M Costagli
- Imago7 Research Foundation (M. Costagli, L.B., M.T.), Pisa, Italy.,Laboratory of Medical Physics and Biotechnologies for Magnetic Resonance (M. Costagli, L.B., M.T.), Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - D Frosini
- Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine (E.C.I., D.F., G.S.), University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - L Biagi
- Imago7 Research Foundation (M. Costagli, L.B., M.T.), Pisa, Italy.,Laboratory of Medical Physics and Biotechnologies for Magnetic Resonance (M. Costagli, L.B., M.T.), Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - M Tosetti
- Imago7 Research Foundation (M. Costagli, L.B., M.T.), Pisa, Italy.,Laboratory of Medical Physics and Biotechnologies for Magnetic Resonance (M. Costagli, L.B., M.T.), Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - G Siciliano
- Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine (E.C.I., D.F., G.S.), University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - M Cosottini
- From the Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery (G.D., P.C., M. Cosottini)
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Lancione M, Tosetti M, Donatelli G, Cosottini M, Costagli M. The impact of white matter fiber orientation in single-acquisition quantitative susceptibility mapping. NMR Biomed 2017; 30:e3798. [PMID: 28902421 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.3798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2017] [Revised: 07/10/2017] [Accepted: 08/05/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this work was to assess the impact of tissue structural orientation on quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) reliability, and to provide a criterion to identify voxels in which measures of magnetic susceptibility (χ) are most affected by spatial orientation effects. Four healthy volunteers underwent 7-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Multi-echo, gradient-echo sequences were used to obtain quantitative maps of frequency shift (FS) and χ. Information from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to investigate the relationship between tissue orientation and FS measures and QSM. After sorting voxels on the basis of their fractional anisotropy (FA), the variations in FS and χ values over tissue orientation were measured. Using a K-means clustering algorithm, voxels were separated into two groups depending on the variability of measures within each FA interval. The consistency of FS and QSM values, observed at low FA, was disrupted for FA > 0.6. The standard deviation of χ measured at high FA (0.0103 ppm) was nearly five times that at low FA (0.0022 ppm). This result was consistent through data across different head positions and for different brain regions considered separately, which confirmed that such behavior does not depend on structures with different bulk susceptibility oriented along particular angles. The reliability of single-orientation QSM anticorrelates with local FA. QSM provides replicable values with little variability in brain regions with FA < 0.6, but QSM should be interpreted cautiously in major and coherent fiber bundles, which are strongly affected by structural anisotropy and magnetic susceptibility anisotropy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michela Tosetti
- IMAGO 7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy
- IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | | | | | - Mauro Costagli
- IMAGO 7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy
- IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
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31
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Frosini D, Cosottini M, Donatelli G, Costagli M, Biagi L, Pacchetti C, Terzaghi M, Cortelli P, Arnaldi D, Bonanni E, Tosetti M, Bonuccelli U, Ceravolo R. Seven tesla MRI of the substantia nigra in patients with rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2017; 43:105-109. [DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2017.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2017] [Revised: 07/03/2017] [Accepted: 08/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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32
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Rua C, Costagli M, Symms MR, Biagi L, Donatelli G, Cosottini M, Del Guerra A, Tosetti M. Characterization of high-resolution Gradient Echo and Spin Echo EPI for fMRI in the human visual cortex at 7 T. Magn Reson Imaging 2017; 40:98-108. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2017.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2016] [Revised: 04/11/2017] [Accepted: 04/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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33
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Costagli M, Donatelli G, Biagi L, Caldarazzo Ienco E, Siciliano G, Tosetti M, Cosottini M. Magnetic susceptibility in the deep layers of the primary motor cortex in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Neuroimage Clin 2016; 12:965-969. [PMID: 27995062 PMCID: PMC5153607 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2016.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2016] [Revised: 03/29/2016] [Accepted: 04/30/2016] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurological disorder that entails degeneration of both upper and lower motor neurons. The primary motor cortex (M1) in patients with upper motor neuron (UMN) impairment is pronouncedly hypointense in Magnetic Resonance (MR) T2* contrast. In the present study, 3D gradient-recalled multi-echo sequences were used on a 7 Tesla MR system to acquire T2*-weighted images targeting M1 at high spatial resolution. MR raw data were used for Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM). Measures of magnetic susceptibility correlated with the expected concentration of non-heme iron in different regions of the cerebral cortex in healthy subjects. In ALS patients, significant increases in magnetic susceptibility co-localized with the T2* hypointensity observed in the middle and deep layers of M1. The magnetic susceptibility, hence iron concentration, of the deep cortical layers of patients' M1 subregions corresponding to Penfield's areas of the hand and foot in both hemispheres significantly correlated with the clinical scores of UMN impairment of the corresponding limbs. QSM therefore reflects the presence of iron deposits related to neuroinflammatory reaction and cortical microgliosis, and might prove useful in estimating M1 iron concentration, as a possible radiological sign of severe UMN burden in ALS patients. Magnetic susceptibility (χ) was measured in ALS patients' and healthy controls' M1. In healthy subjects' cortex, χ correlated with the expected concentration of iron. In patients, increased χ co-localized with T2* hypointensity in M1 deeper layers. χ correlated with clinical scores of upper motor neuron impairment in patients. χ could be a radiological sign of iron deposits and severe UMN burden in ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Costagli
- Imago7 Research Foundation, Pisa, Italy; Laboratory of Medical Physics and Biotechnologies for Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - G Donatelli
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - L Biagi
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Biotechnologies for Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - E Caldarazzo Ienco
- Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - G Siciliano
- Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - M Tosetti
- Imago7 Research Foundation, Pisa, Italy; Laboratory of Medical Physics and Biotechnologies for Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - M Cosottini
- Imago7 Research Foundation, Pisa, Italy; Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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34
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Tiberi G, Costagli M, Biagi L, Ciantis AD, Fontana N, Stara R, Symms MR, Cosottini M, Guerrini R, Tosetti M. SAR prediction in adults and children by combining measured B1+ maps and simulations at 7.0 Tesla. J Magn Reson Imaging 2016; 44:1048-55. [DOI: 10.1002/jmri.25241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2015] [Accepted: 03/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Gianluigi Tiberi
- Imago7 Foundation; Pisa Italy
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Biotechnologies for Magnetic Resonance; IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation; Pisa Italy
| | - Mauro Costagli
- Imago7 Foundation; Pisa Italy
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Biotechnologies for Magnetic Resonance; IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation; Pisa Italy
| | - Laura Biagi
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Biotechnologies for Magnetic Resonance; IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation; Pisa Italy
| | | | - Nunzia Fontana
- Department of Information Engineering; University of Pisa; Pisa Italy
- National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN); Pisa Italy
| | - Riccardo Stara
- National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN); Pisa Italy
| | | | - Mirco Cosottini
- Department of Translational Research and New Surgical and Medical Technologies; University of Pisa; Pisa Italy
| | | | - Michela Tosetti
- Imago7 Foundation; Pisa Italy
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Biotechnologies for Magnetic Resonance; IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation; Pisa Italy
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35
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Cosottini M, Donatelli G, Costagli M, Caldarazzo Ienco E, Frosini D, Pesaresi I, Biagi L, Siciliano G, Tosetti M. High-Resolution 7T MR Imaging of the Motor Cortex in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2016; 37:455-61. [PMID: 26680464 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a4562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2015] [Accepted: 08/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a progressive motor neuron disorder that involves degeneration of both upper and lower motor neurons. In patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, pathologic studies and ex vivo high-resolution MR imaging at ultra-high field strength revealed the co-localization of iron and activated microglia distributed in the deep layers of the primary motor cortex. The aims of the study were to measure the cortical thickness and evaluate the distribution of iron-related signal changes in the primary motor cortex of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis as possible in vivo biomarkers of upper motor neuron impairment. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-two patients with definite amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and 14 healthy subjects underwent a high-resolution 2D multiecho gradient-recalled sequence targeted on the primary motor cortex by using a 7T scanner. Image analysis consisted of the visual evaluation and quantitative measurement of signal intensity and cortical thickness of the primary motor cortex in patients and controls. Qualitative and quantitative MR imaging parameters were correlated with electrophysiologic and laboratory data and with clinical scores. RESULTS Ultra-high field MR imaging revealed atrophy and signal hypointensity in the deep layers of the primary motor cortex of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with a diagnostic accuracy of 71%. Signal hypointensity of the deep layers of the primary motor cortex correlated with upper motor neuron impairment (r = -0.47; P < .001) and with disease progression rate (r = -0.60; P = .009). CONCLUSIONS The combined high spatial resolution and sensitivity to paramagnetic substances of 7T MR imaging demonstrate in vivo signal changes of the cerebral motor cortex that resemble the distribution of activated microglia within the cortex of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Cortical thinning and signal hypointensity of the deep layers of the primary motor cortex could constitute a marker of upper motor neuron impairment in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Cosottini
- From the Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery (M.Cosottini) and Neurology Unit
| | - G Donatelli
- Neuroradiology Unit (G.D., I.P.), Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | - M Costagli
- IMAGO7 Foundation (M.Costagli), Pisa, Italy
| | - E Caldarazzo Ienco
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine (E.C.I., D.F., G.S.), University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - D Frosini
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine (E.C.I., D.F., G.S.), University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - I Pesaresi
- Neuroradiology Unit (G.D., I.P.), Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | - L Biagi
- IRCCS Stella Maris (L.B., M.T.), Pisa, Italy
| | - G Siciliano
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine (E.C.I., D.F., G.S.), University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - M Tosetti
- IRCCS Stella Maris (L.B., M.T.), Pisa, Italy
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36
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De Ciantis A, Barba C, Tassi L, Cosottini M, Tosetti M, Costagli M, Bramerio M, Bartolini E, Biagi L, Cossu M, Pelliccia V, Symms MR, Guerrini R. 7T MRI in focal epilepsy with unrevealing conventional field strength imaging. Epilepsia 2016; 57:445-54. [PMID: 26778405 DOI: 10.1111/epi.13313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To assess the diagnostic yield of 7T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detecting and characterizing structural lesions in patients with intractable focal epilepsy and unrevealing conventional (1.5 or 3T) MRI. METHODS We conducted an observational clinical imaging study on 21 patients (17 adults and 4 children) with intractable focal epilepsy, exhibiting clinical and electroencephalographic features consistent with a single seizure-onset zone (SOZ) and unrevealing conventional MRI. Patients were enrolled at two tertiary epilepsy surgery centers and imaged at 7T, including whole brain (three-dimensional [3D] T1 -weighted [T1W] fast-spoiled gradient echo (FSPGR), 3D susceptibility-weighted angiography [SWAN], 3D fluid-attenuated inversion recovery [FLAIR]) and targeted imaging (2D T2*-weighted dual-echo gradient-recalled echo [GRE] and 2D gray-white matter tissue border enhancement [TBE] fast spin echo inversion recovery [FSE-IR]). MRI studies at 1.5 or 3T deemed unrevealing at the referral center were reviewed by three experts in epilepsy imaging. Reviewers were provided information regarding the suspected localization of the SOZ. The same team subsequently reviewed 7T images. Agreement in imaging interpretation was reached through consensus-based discussions based on visual identification of structural abnormalities and their likely correlation with clinical and electrographic data. RESULTS 7T MRI revealed structural lesions in 6 (29%) of 21 patients. The diagnostic gain in detection was obtained using GRE and FLAIR images. Four of the six patients with abnormal 7T underwent epilepsy surgery. Histopathology revealed focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) in all. In the remaining 15 patients (71%), 7T MRI remained unrevealing; 4 of the patients underwent epilepsy surgery and histopathologic evaluation revealed gliosis. SIGNIFICANCE 7T MRI improves detection of epileptogenic FCD that is not visible at conventional field strengths. A dedicated protocol including whole brain FLAIR and GRE images at 7T targeted at the suspected SOZ increases the diagnostic yield.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessio De Ciantis
- Pediatric Neurology Unit and Laboratories, Children's Hospital A. Meyer-University of Florence, Florence, Italy.,IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Carmen Barba
- Pediatric Neurology Unit and Laboratories, Children's Hospital A. Meyer-University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Laura Tassi
- "C. Munari" Epilepsy Surgery Center, Niguarda Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Mirco Cosottini
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.,IMAGO7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Michela Tosetti
- IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy.,IMAGO7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Mauro Costagli
- IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy.,IMAGO7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Emanuele Bartolini
- Pediatric Neurology Unit and Laboratories, Children's Hospital A. Meyer-University of Florence, Florence, Italy.,IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Laura Biagi
- IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy.,IMAGO7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Massimo Cossu
- "C. Munari" Epilepsy Surgery Center, Niguarda Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Mark R Symms
- General Electric MR Scientist, Imago7, Pisa, Italy
| | - Renzo Guerrini
- Pediatric Neurology Unit and Laboratories, Children's Hospital A. Meyer-University of Florence, Florence, Italy.,IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy
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Biagi L, Bisogni MG, Camarlinghi N, Costagli M, Sportelli G, Tosetti M, Del Guerra A, Belcari N. Evaluation of DC/DC switching power regulation with small-scale integrated inductors for PET/MR. EJNMMI Phys 2015; 2:A14. [PMID: 26956269 PMCID: PMC4798655 DOI: 10.1186/2197-7364-2-s1-a14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Biagi
- IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris and Fondazione Imago 7, Calambrone, Pisa, Italy
| | | | | | - Mauro Costagli
- IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris and Fondazione Imago 7, Calambrone, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Michela Tosetti
- IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris and Fondazione Imago 7, Calambrone, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Nicola Belcari
- Department of Physics, University of Pisa and INFN, Pisa, Italy
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38
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Tiberi G, Fontana N, Costagli M, Stara R, Biagi L, Symms MR, Monorchio A, Retico A, Cosottini M, Tosetti M. Investigation of maximum local specific absorption rate in 7 T magnetic resonance with respect to load size by use of electromagnetic simulations. Bioelectromagnetics 2015; 36:358-66. [DOI: 10.1002/bem.21907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2014] [Accepted: 02/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gianluigi Tiberi
- Imago7 Foundation; Pisa Italy
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Biotechnologies for Magnetic Resonance; IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation; Pisa Italy
| | - Nunzia Fontana
- Department of Information Engineering; University of Pisa; Pisa Italy
- National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN); Pisa Italy
| | - Mauro Costagli
- Imago7 Foundation; Pisa Italy
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Biotechnologies for Magnetic Resonance; IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation; Pisa Italy
| | - Riccardo Stara
- National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN); Pisa Italy
- Physics Department; University of Pisa; Pisa Italy
| | - Laura Biagi
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Biotechnologies for Magnetic Resonance; IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation; Pisa Italy
| | | | - Agostino Monorchio
- Department of Information Engineering; University of Pisa; Pisa Italy
- National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN); Pisa Italy
| | | | - Mirco Cosottini
- Department of Translational Research and New Surgical and Medical Technologies; University of Pisa; Pisa Italy
| | - Michela Tosetti
- Imago7 Foundation; Pisa Italy
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Biotechnologies for Magnetic Resonance; IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation; Pisa Italy
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39
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Gaglianese A, Costagli M, Ueno K, Ricciardi E, Bernardi G, Pietrini P, Cheng K. The direct, not V1-mediated, functional influence between the thalamus and middle temporal complex in the human brain is modulated by the speed of visual motion. Neuroscience 2015; 284:833-844. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.10.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2014] [Revised: 09/26/2014] [Accepted: 10/24/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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40
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Toncelli A, Noeske R, Cosottini M, Costagli M, Domenici V, Tiberi G, Tosetti M. STEAM-MiTiS: An MR spectroscopy method for the detection of scalar-coupled metabolites and its application to glutamate at 7 T. Magn Reson Med 2014; 74:1515-22. [DOI: 10.1002/mrm.25556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2014] [Revised: 10/28/2014] [Accepted: 11/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ralph Noeske
- MR Applications and Workflow Development; GE Healthcare; Berlin Germany
| | - Mirco Cosottini
- Dipartimento di Ricerca Traslazionale e delle Nuove Tecnologie in Medicina e Chirurgia; University of Pisa; Pisa Italy
- Fondazione IMAGO7; Pisa Italy
| | - Mauro Costagli
- Fondazione IMAGO7; Pisa Italy
- Laboratorio di Fisica Medica e Biotecnologie per la Risonanza Magnetica IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris; Pisa Italy
| | - Valentina Domenici
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale; University of Pisa; Pisa Italy
| | - Gianluigi Tiberi
- Fondazione IMAGO7; Pisa Italy
- Laboratorio di Fisica Medica e Biotecnologie per la Risonanza Magnetica IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris; Pisa Italy
| | - Michela Tosetti
- Fondazione IMAGO7; Pisa Italy
- Laboratorio di Fisica Medica e Biotecnologie per la Risonanza Magnetica IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris; Pisa Italy
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41
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Cosottini M, Frosini D, Pesaresi I, Donatelli G, Cecchi P, Costagli M, Biagi L, Ceravolo R, Bonuccelli U, Tosetti M. Comparison of 3T and 7T susceptibility-weighted angiography of the substantia nigra in diagnosing Parkinson disease. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2014; 36:461-6. [PMID: 25376811 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a4158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Standard neuroimaging fails in defining the anatomy of the substantia nigra and has a marginal role in the diagnosis of Parkinson disease. Recently 7T MR target imaging of the substantia nigra has been useful in diagnosing Parkinson disease. We performed a comparative study to evaluate whether susceptibility-weighted angiography can diagnose Parkinson disease with a 3T scanner. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fourteen patients with Parkinson disease and 13 healthy subjects underwent MR imaging examination at 3T and 7T by using susceptibility-weighted angiography. Two expert blinded observers and 1 neuroradiology fellow evaluated the 3T and 7T images of the sample to identify substantia nigra abnormalities indicative of Parkinson disease. Diagnostic accuracy and intra- and interobserver agreement were calculated separately for 3T and 7T acquisitions. RESULTS Susceptibility-weighted angiography 7T MR imaging can diagnose Parkinson disease with a mean sensitivity of 93%, specificity of 100%, and diagnostic accuracy of 96%. 3T MR imaging diagnosed Parkinson disease with a mean sensitivity of 79%, specificity of 94%, and diagnostic accuracy of 86%. Intraobserver and interobserver agreement was excellent at 7T. At 3T, intraobserver agreement was excellent for experts, and interobserver agreement ranged between good and excellent. The less expert reader obtained a diagnostic accuracy of 89% at 3T. CONCLUSIONS Susceptibility-weighted angiography images obtained at 3T and 7T differentiate controls from patients with Parkinson disease with a higher diagnostic accuracy at 7T. The capability of 3T in diagnosing Parkinson disease might encourage its use in clinical practice. The use of the more accurate 7T should be supported by a dedicated cost-effectiveness study.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Cosottini
- From the IMAGO7 Foundation (M. Cosottini, M. Costagli), Pisa, Italy Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery (M. Cosottini, G.D.)
| | - D Frosini
- Neurology Unit (D.F., R.C., U.B.), Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - I Pesaresi
- Neuroradiology Unit (I.P., P.C.), Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | - G Donatelli
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery (M. Cosottini, G.D.)
| | - P Cecchi
- Neuroradiology Unit (I.P., P.C.), Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | - M Costagli
- From the IMAGO7 Foundation (M. Cosottini, M. Costagli), Pisa, Italy
| | - L Biagi
- Stella Maris Scientific Institute (L.B., M.T.), Pisa, Italy
| | - R Ceravolo
- Neurology Unit (D.F., R.C., U.B.), Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - U Bonuccelli
- Neurology Unit (D.F., R.C., U.B.), Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - M Tosetti
- Stella Maris Scientific Institute (L.B., M.T.), Pisa, Italy
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De Ciantis A, Barkovich AJ, Cosottini M, Barba C, Montanaro D, Costagli M, Tosetti M, Biagi L, Dobyns WB, Guerrini R. Ultra-high-field MR imaging in polymicrogyria and epilepsy. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2014; 36:309-16. [PMID: 25258368 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a4116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Polymicrogyria is a malformation of cortical development that is often identified in children with epilepsy or delayed development. We investigated in vivo the potential of 7T imaging in characterizing polymicrogyria to determine whether additional features could be identified. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ten adult patients with polymicrogyria previously diagnosed by using 3T MR imaging underwent additional imaging at 7T. We assessed polymicrogyria according to topographic pattern, extent, symmetry, and morphology. Additional imaging sequences at 7T included 3D T2* susceptibility-weighted angiography and 2D tissue border enhancement FSE inversion recovery. Minimum intensity projections were used to assess the potential of the susceptibility-weighted angiography sequence for depiction of cerebral veins. RESULTS At 7T, we observed perisylvian polymicrogyria that was bilateral in 6 patients, unilateral in 3, and diffuse in 1. Four of the 6 bilateral abnormalities had been considered unilateral at 3T. While 3T imaging revealed 2 morphologic categories (coarse, delicate), 7T susceptibility-weighted angiography images disclosed a uniform ribbonlike pattern. Susceptibility-weighted angiography revealed numerous dilated superficial veins in all polymicrogyric areas. Tissue border enhancement imaging depicted a hypointense line corresponding to the gray-white interface, providing a high definition of the borders and, thereby, improving detection of the polymicrogyric cortex. CONCLUSIONS 7T imaging reveals more anatomic details of polymicrogyria compared with 3T conventional sequences, with potential implications for diagnosis, genetic studies, and surgical treatment of associated epilepsy. Abnormalities of cortical veins may suggest a role for vascular dysgenesis in pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- A De Ciantis
- From the Pediatric Neurology Unit (A.D.C., C.B., R.G.), Meyer Children's Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - A J Barkovich
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging (A.J.B.), University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - M Cosottini
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery (M. Cosottini), University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy IMAGO7 Foundation (M. Cosottini), Pisa, Italy
| | - C Barba
- From the Pediatric Neurology Unit (A.D.C., C.B., R.G.), Meyer Children's Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - D Montanaro
- Fondazione Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche/Regione Toscana (D.M.), Unità Operativa Semplice Neuroradiologia, Pisa, Italy
| | - M Costagli
- Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Stella Maris Foundation (M. Costagli, M.T., L.B., R.G.), Pisa, Italy
| | - M Tosetti
- Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Stella Maris Foundation (M. Costagli, M.T., L.B., R.G.), Pisa, Italy
| | - L Biagi
- Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Stella Maris Foundation (M. Costagli, M.T., L.B., R.G.), Pisa, Italy
| | - W B Dobyns
- Center for Integrative Brain Research (W.B.D.), Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, Washington
| | - R Guerrini
- From the Pediatric Neurology Unit (A.D.C., C.B., R.G.), Meyer Children's Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Stella Maris Foundation (M. Costagli, M.T., L.B., R.G.), Pisa, Italy
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Costagli M, Kelley DAC, Symms MR, Biagi L, Stara R, Maggioni E, Tiberi G, Barba C, Guerrini R, Cosottini M, Tosetti M. Tissue Border Enhancement by inversion recovery MRI at 7.0 Tesla. Neuroradiology 2014; 56:517-23. [DOI: 10.1007/s00234-014-1365-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2014] [Accepted: 04/08/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Cosottini M, Frosini D, Pesaresi I, Costagli M, Biagi L, Ceravolo R, Bonuccelli U, Tosetti M. MR imaging of the substantia nigra at 7 T enables diagnosis of Parkinson disease. Radiology 2014; 271:831-8. [PMID: 24601752 DOI: 10.1148/radiol.14131448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To evaluate the anatomy of the substantia nigra (SN) in healthy subjects by performing 7-T magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the SN, and to prospectively define the accuracy of 7-T MR imaging in distinguishing Parkinson disease (PD) patients from healthy subjects on an individual basis. MATERIALS AND METHODS The 7-T MR imaging protocol was approved by the Italian Ministry of Health and by the local competent ethics committee. SN anatomy was described ex vivo on a gross brain specimen by using highly resolved proton-density (spin-echo proton density) and gradient-recalled-echo (GRE) images, and in vivo in eight healthy subjects (mean age, 40.1 years) by using GRE three-dimensional multiecho susceptibility-weighted images. After training on appearance of SN in eight healthy subjects, the SN anatomy was evaluated twice by two blinded observers in 13 healthy subjects (mean age, 54.7 years) and in 17 PD patients (mean age, 56.9 years). Deviations from normal SN appearance were described and indicated as abnormal, and both diagnostic accuracy and intra- and interobserver agreement for diagnosis of PD with 7-T MR imaging were calculated. RESULTS Three-dimensional multiecho susceptibility-weighted 7-T MR imaging reveals a three-layered organization of the SN allowing readers to distinguish pars compacta ventralis and dorsalis from pars reticulata. The abnormal architecture of the SN allowed a discrimination between PD patients and healthy subjects with sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 96.2% (range, 92.3%-100%), respectively. Intraobserver agreement (κ = 1) and interobserver agreement (κ = 0.932) were excellent. CONCLUSION MR imaging at 7-T allows a precise characterization of the SN and visualization of its inner organization. Three-dimensional multiecho susceptibility-weighted images can be used to accurately differentiate healthy subjects from PD patients, which provides a novel diagnostic opportunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirco Cosottini
- From the IMAGO7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy (M. Cosottini, M. Costagli); Department of Translational Research and New Surgical and Medical Technologies (M. Cosottini) and Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine (D.F., R.C., U.B.), University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; Neuroradiology Unit, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana (AOUP), Pisa, Italy (I.P.); and Stella Maris Scientific Institute, Pisa, Italy (L.B., M.T.)
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Tiberi G, Costagli M, Stara R, Cosottini M, Tropp J, Tosetti M. Electromagnetic characterization of an MR volume coil with multilayered cylindrical load using a 2-D analytical approach. J Magn Reson 2013; 230:186-197. [PMID: 23548562 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmr.2013.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2012] [Revised: 02/15/2013] [Accepted: 02/18/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
We present an analytical method for the analysis of Radio Frequency (RF) volume coils for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), using a 2-D full wave solution with loading by multilayered cylinders. This allows the characterization of radio-frequency E, H, B1, B1(+) fields. Comparisons are provided with experimental data obtained at 7.0 T. The procedure permits us to clearly separate the solution to single line source problem (which we call the primordial solution) and the composite solution (i.e. full coil, i.e. the summations of primordial solutions according to the resonator drive configuration). The capability of separating the primordial solution and the composite one is fundamental for a thorough analysis of the phenomena of dielectric resonance, and of standing wave and multi-source interference. We show that dielectric resonance can be identified only by looking at the electromagnetic field from a single line source.
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Costagli M, Ueno K, Sun P, Gardner JL, Wan X, Ricciardi E, Pietrini P, Tanaka K, Cheng K. Functional signalers of changes in visual stimuli: cortical responses to increments and decrements in motion coherence. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 24:110-8. [PMID: 23010749 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhs294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
How does our brain detect changes in a natural scene? While changes by increments of specific visual attributes, such as contrast or motion coherence, can be signaled by an increase in neuronal activity in early visual areas, like the primary visual cortex (V1) or the human middle temporal complex (hMT+), respectively, the mechanisms for signaling changes resulting from decrements in a stimulus attribute are largely unknown. We have discovered opposing patterns of cortical responses to changes in motion coherence: unlike areas hMT+, V3A and parieto-occipital complex (V6+) that respond to changes in the level of motion coherence monotonically, human areas V4 (hV4), V3B, and ventral occipital always respond positively to both transient increments and decrements. This pattern of responding always positively to stimulus changes can emerge in the presence of either coherence-selective neuron populations, or neurons that are not tuned to particular coherences but adapt to a particular coherence level in a stimulus-selective manner. Our findings provide evidence that these areas possess physiological properties suited for signaling increments and decrements in a stimulus and may form a part of cortical vigilance system for detecting salient changes in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauro Costagli
- Laboratory for Cognitive Brain Mapping, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Japan
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Sun P, Gardner JL, Costagli M, Ueno K, Waggoner RA, Tanaka K, Cheng K. Demonstration of tuning to stimulus orientation in the human visual cortex: a high-resolution fMRI study with a novel continuous and periodic stimulation paradigm. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 23:1618-29. [PMID: 22661413 PMCID: PMC3673175 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhs149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Cells in the animal early visual cortex are sensitive to contour orientations and form repeated structures known as orientation columns. At the behavioral level, there exist 2 well-known global biases in orientation perception (oblique effect and radial bias) in both animals and humans. However, their neural bases are still under debate. To unveil how these behavioral biases are achieved in the early visual cortex, we conducted high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments with a novel continuous and periodic stimulation paradigm. By inserting resting recovery periods between successive stimulation periods and introducing a pair of orthogonal stimulation conditions that differed by 90° continuously, we focused on analyzing a blood oxygenation level-dependent response modulated by the change in stimulus orientation and reliably extracted orientation preferences of single voxels. We found that there are more voxels preferring horizontal and vertical orientations, a physiological substrate underlying the oblique effect, and that these over-representations of horizontal and vertical orientations are prevalent in the cortical regions near the horizontal- and vertical-meridian representations, a phenomenon related to the radial bias. Behaviorally, we also confirmed that there exists perceptual superiority for horizontal and vertical orientations around horizontal and vertical meridians, respectively. Our results, thus, refined the neural mechanisms of these 2 global biases in orientation perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei Sun
- RIKEN Brain Science Institute, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
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Gaglianese A, Costagli M, Bernardi G, Ricciardi E, Pietrini P. Evidence of a direct influence between the thalamus and hMT+ independent of V1 in the human brain as measured by fMRI. Neuroimage 2012; 60:1440-7. [PMID: 22300813 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.01.093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2011] [Revised: 01/13/2012] [Accepted: 01/17/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
In the present study we employed Conditional Granger Causality (CGC) and Coherence analysis to investigate whether visual motion-related information reaches the human middle temporal complex (hMT+) directly from the Lateral Geniculate Nucleus (LGN) of the thalamus, by-passing the primary visual cortex (V1). Ten healthy human volunteers underwent brain scan examinations by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during two optic flow experiments. In addition to the classical LGN-V1-hMT+ pathway, our results showed a significant direct influence of the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal recorded in LGN over that in hMT+, not mediated by V1 activity, which strongly supports the existence of a bilateral pathway that connects LGN directly to hMT+ and serves visual motion processing. Furthermore, we evaluated the relative latencies among areas functionally connected in the processing of visual motion. Using LGN as a reference region, hMT+ exhibited a statistically significant earlier peak of activation as compared to V1. In conclusion, our findings suggest the co-existence of an alternative route that directly links LGN to hMT+, bypassing V1. This direct pathway may play a significant functional role for the faster detection of motion and may contribute to explain persistence of unconscious motion detection in individuals with severe destruction of primary visual cortex (blindsight).
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Gaglianese
- Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Pisa Medical School, Pisa, Italy
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Costagli M, Waggoner RA, Ueno K, Tanaka K, Cheng K. Correction of 3D rigid body motion in fMRI time series by independent estimation of rotational and translational effects in k-space. Neuroimage 2009; 45:749-57. [PMID: 19280703 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2008.12.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
In functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), even subvoxel motion dramatically corrupts the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal, invalidating the assumption that intensity variation in time is primarily due to neuronal activity. Thus, correction of the subject's head movements is a fundamental step to be performed prior to data analysis. Most motion correction techniques register a series of volumes assuming that rigid body motion, characterized by rotational and translational parameters, occurs. Unlike the most widely used applications for fMRI data processing, which correct motion in the image domain by numerically estimating rotational and translational components simultaneously, the algorithm presented here operates in a three-dimensional k-space, to decouple and correct rotations and translations independently, offering new ways and more flexible procedures to estimate the parameters of interest. We developed an implementation of this method in MATLAB, and tested it on both simulated and experimental data. Its performance was quantified in terms of square differences and center of mass stability across time. Our data show that the algorithm proposed here successfully corrects for rigid-body motion, and its employment in future fMRI studies is feasible and promising.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauro Costagli
- Laboratory for Cognitive Brain Mapping, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wakoshi, Saitama, Japan.
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Donadio C, Tramonti G, Garcea G, Costagli M, Lucchetti A, Giordani R, Paizis G, Pierotti R, Falcone G, Bianchi C. Therapeutic efficacy and renal effects of cefonicid in the treatment of difficult urinary tract infections. J Chemother 1991; 3 Suppl 1:233-6. [PMID: 12041774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED EFFICACY, renal effects and nephrotoxicity of the cephalosporin cefonicid (CEF) were evaluated in 11 adult patients with urinary tract infection and varying renal function (creatinine cl 19-161 ml/min, mean 75). CEF was administered i.m. for 7 days at a daily dose adjusted to renal function of the patients. EFFICACY At the 4th day and at the end of the treatment urine cultures were negative in all cases; a recurrence of the infection was observed in 4 patients 10 days after completion of therapy. Renal effects and nephrotoxicity: CEF neither modified plasma creatinine, urea, uric acid and their renal clearances nor glomerular filtration rate. Only the urinary enzyme activity of alanine aminopeptidase increased slightly at the end of the therapy. It returned to basal values in the post-treatment period. Urinary enzyme activities of gamma-glutamyltransferase, alkaline phosphatase, N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase and lysozyme were unmodified during and after treatment with CEF. These results indicate that CEF is an effective antimicrobial agent which does not influence renal function, nor cause nephrotoxic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Donadio
- Nefrologia Medica, Istituto di Clinica Medica 2, University of Pisa, Italy
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