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Vints WAJ, Valatkevičienė K, Levin O, Weerasekera A, Jesmanas S, Kušleikienė S, Česnaitienė VJ, Himmelreich U, Verbunt JA, Ratai EM, Gleiznienė R, Masiulis N. Hippocampal neurometabolic and structural changes from pre-to post-COVID-19: A case-series study. Magn Reson Imaging 2024; 109:249-255. [PMID: 38521366 DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2024.03.032] [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: 01/19/2024] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neurological complications of the COVID-19 infection may be caused in part by local neurochemical and structural abnormalities that could not be detected during routine medical examinations. We examined within subject neurometabolic and structural brain alterations from pre-to post-COVID-19 in the hippocampal region of three elderly individuals (aged 63-68 years) who had a COVID-19 infection with mild symptoms. Patients were participating in an interventional study in which they were closely monitored at the time they were diagnosed with COVID-19. Patients 1 and 2 just completed 18-20 resistance training sessions prior to their diagnosis. Patient 3 was assigned to a non-training condition in the same study. METHODS Whole brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) of the left hippocampus were collected before and after infection. Structural and spectroscopic imaging measures post-COVID-19 were contrasted to the pre-COVID-19 measures and were compared with values for Minimal Detectable Change at 95% (MDC95) and 90% (MDC90) confidence from a group of six elderly (aged 60-79 years) without COVID-19 that participated in the same study. RESULTS After SARS-COV-2 infection, we observed a reduction of glutamate-glutamine (Glx) in Patients 1 and 2 (≥ 42.0%) and elevation of myo-inositol (mIns) and N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) in Patient 3 (≥ 36.4%); all > MDC90. MRI findings showed increased (Patients 1 and 2) or unchanged (Patient 3) hippocampal volume. CONCLUSIONS Overall, findings from this exploratory study suggest that mild COVID-19 infection could be associated with development of local neuroinflammation and reduced glutamate levels in the hippocampus. Our 1H-MRS findings may have clinical value for explaining chronic neurological and psychological complaints in COVID-19 long-haulers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wouter A J Vints
- Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Lithuanian Sports University, LT-44221 Kaunas, Lithuania; Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Research School CAPHRI, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands; Adelante Zorggroep, P.O. Box 88, 6430 AB, Hoensbroek, the Netherlands.
| | - Kristina Valatkevičienė
- Department of Radiology, Kauno Klinikos, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Oron Levin
- Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Lithuanian Sports University, LT-44221 Kaunas, Lithuania; Movement Control & Neuroplasticity Research Group, Group Biomedical Sciences, KU Leuven, Heverlee 3001, Belgium
| | - Akila Weerasekera
- A.A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School (MGH/HMS), Boston 02129, MA, USA
| | - Simonas Jesmanas
- Department of Radiology, Kauno Klinikos, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Simona Kušleikienė
- Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Lithuanian Sports University, LT-44221 Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Vida J Česnaitienė
- Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Lithuanian Sports University, LT-44221 Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Uwe Himmelreich
- Biomedical MRI Unit, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Group Biomedical Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Jeanine A Verbunt
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Research School CAPHRI, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands; Adelante Zorggroep, P.O. Box 88, 6430 AB, Hoensbroek, the Netherlands
| | - Eva-Maria Ratai
- A.A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School (MGH/HMS), Boston 02129, MA, USA
| | - Rymantė Gleiznienė
- Department of Radiology, Kauno Klinikos, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Nerijus Masiulis
- Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Lithuanian Sports University, LT-44221 Kaunas, Lithuania; Department of Rehabilitation, Physical and Sports Medicine, Institute of Health Science, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, M. K. Čiurlionio Str. 21, LT-03101 Vilnius, Lithuania
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Vints WA, Kušleikienė S, Sheoran S, Valatkevičienė K, Gleiznienė R, Himmelreich U, Pääsuke M, Česnaitienė VJ, Levin O, Verbunt J, Masiulis N. Body fat and components of sarcopenia relate to inflammation, brain volume and neurometabolism in older adults. Neurobiol Aging 2023; 127:1-11. [PMID: 37004309 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2023.02.011] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Obesity and sarcopenia are associated with cognitive impairments at older age. Current research suggests that blood biomarkers may mediate this body-brain crosstalk, altering neurometabolism and brain structure eventually resulting in cognitive performance changes. Seventy-four older adults (60-85 years old) underwent bio-impedance body composition analysis, handgrip strength measurements, 8-Foot Up-and-Go (8UG) test, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), blood analysis of interleukin-6 (IL-6), kynurenine, and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), as well as brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS), estimating neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation. Normal fat% or overweight was associated with larger total gray matter volume compared to underweight or obesity in older adults and obesity was associated with higher N-acetylaspartate/Creatine levels in the sensorimotor and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Muscle strength, not muscle mass/physical performance, corresponded to lower kynurenine and higher N-acetylaspartate/Creatine levels in the dorsal posterior cingulate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The inflammatory and neurotrophic blood biomarkers did not significantly mediate these body-brain associations. This study used a multimodal approach to comprehensively assess the proposed mechanism of body-brain crosstalk.
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Sheoran S, Vints WAJ, Valatkevičienė K, Kušleikienė S, Gleiznienė R, Česnaitienė VJ, Himmelreich U, Levin O, Masiulis N. Strength gains after 12 weeks of resistance training correlate with neurochemical markers of brain health in older adults: a randomized control 1H-MRS study. GeroScience 2023:10.1007/s11357-023-00732-6. [PMID: 36701005 PMCID: PMC9877502 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-023-00732-6] [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: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Physical exercise is considered a potent countermeasure against various age-associated physiological deterioration processes. We therefore assessed the effect of 12 weeks of resistance training on brain metabolism in older adults (age range: 60-80 years). Participants either underwent two times weekly resistance training program which consisted of four lower body exercises performed for 3 sets of 6-10 repetitions at 70-85% of 1 repetition maximum (n = 20) or served as the passive control group (n = 21). The study used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy to quantify the ratio of total N-acetyl aspartate, total choline, glutamate-glutamine complex, and myo-inositol relative to total creatine (tNAA/tCr, tCho/tCr, Glx/tCr, and mIns/tCr respectively) in the hippocampus (HPC), sensorimotor (SM1), and prefrontal (dlPFC) cortices. The peak torque (PT at 60°/s) of knee extension and flexion was assessed using an isokinetic dynamometer. We used repeated measures time × group ANOVA to assess time and group differences and correlation coefficient analyses to examine the pre-to-post change (∆) associations between PT and neurometabolite variables. The control group showed significant declines in tNAA/tCr and Glx/tCr of SM1, and tNAA/tCr of dlPFC after 12 weeks, which were not seen in the experimental group. A significant positive correlation was found between ∆PT knee extension and ∆SM1 Glx/tCr, ∆dlPFC Glx/tCr and between ∆PT knee flexion and ∆dlPFC mIns/tCr in the experimental group. Overall, findings suggest that resistance training seems to elicit alterations in various neurometabolites that correspond to exercise-induced "preservation" of brain health, while simultaneously having its beneficial effect on augmenting muscle functional characteristics in older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samrat Sheoran
- Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Lithuanian Sports University, 44221 Kaunas, Lithuania ,Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta, AB T6G 2R3 Edmonton, Canada
| | - Wouter A. J. Vints
- Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Lithuanian Sports University, 44221 Kaunas, Lithuania ,Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Research School CAPHRI, Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Simona Kušleikienė
- Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Lithuanian Sports University, 44221 Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Rymantė Gleiznienė
- Department of Radiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Vida J. Česnaitienė
- Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Lithuanian Sports University, 44221 Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Uwe Himmelreich
- Department of Imaging and Pathology, Group Biomedical Sciences, Biomedical MRI Unit, Catholic University Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Oron Levin
- Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Lithuanian Sports University, 44221 Kaunas, Lithuania ,Movement Control & Neuroplasticity Research Group, Group Biomedical Sciences, Catholic University Leuven, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
| | - Nerijus Masiulis
- Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Lithuanian Sports University, 44221 Kaunas, Lithuania ,Department of Rehabilitation, Physical and Sports Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Health Science, Vilnius University, 03101 Vilnius, Lithuania
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Levin O, Vints WAJ, Ziv G, Katkutė G, Kušleikienė S, Valatkevičienė K, Sheoran S, Drozdova-Statkevičienė M, Gleiznienė R, Pääsuke M, Dudonienė V, Himmelreich U, Česnaitienė VJ, Masiulis N. Neurometabolic correlates of posturography in normal aging and older adults with mild cognitive impairment: Evidence from a 1H-MRS study. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 37:103304. [PMID: 36580713 PMCID: PMC9827054 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103304] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) holds promise for revealing and understanding neurodegenerative processes associated with cognitive and functional impairments in aging. In the present study, we examined the neurometabolic correlates of balance performance in 42 cognitively intact older adults (healthy controls - HC) and 26 older individuals that were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Neurometabolite ratios of total N-acetyl aspartate (tNAA), glutamate-glutamine complex (Glx), total choline (tCho) and myo-inositol (mIns) relative to total creatine (tCr) were assessed using single voxel 1H-MRS in four different brain regions. Regions of interest were the left hippocampus (HPC), dorsal posterior cingulate cortex (dPCC), left sensorimotor cortex (SM1), and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). Center-of-pressure velocity (Vcop) and dual task effect (DTE) were used as measures of balance performance. Results indicated no significant group differences in neurometabolite ratios and balance performance measures. However, our observations revealed that higher tCho/tCr and mIns/tCr in hippocampus and dPCC were generic predictors of worse balance performance, suggesting that neuroinflammatory processes in these regions might be a driving factor for impaired balance performance in aging. Further, we found that higher tNAA/tCr and mIns/tCr and lower Glx/tCr in left SM1 were predictors of better balance performance in MCI but not in HC. The latter observation hints at the possibility that individuals with MCI may upregulate balance control through recruitment of sensorimotor pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oron Levin
- Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Lithuanian Sports University, LT-44221 Kaunas, Lithuania; Movement Control & Neuroplasticity Research Group, Group Biomedical Sciences, KU Leuven, Heverlee 3001, Belgium
| | - Wouter A J Vints
- Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Lithuanian Sports University, LT-44221 Kaunas, Lithuania; Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Research School CAPHRI, Maastricht University P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands; Centre of Expertise in Rehabilitation and Audiology, Adelante Zorggroep, Hoensbroek, The Netherlands.
| | - Gal Ziv
- The Academic College at Wingate, Netanya 4290200, Israel
| | - Gintarė Katkutė
- Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Lithuanian Sports University, LT-44221 Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Simona Kušleikienė
- Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Lithuanian Sports University, LT-44221 Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Kristina Valatkevičienė
- Department of Radiology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Samrat Sheoran
- Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Lithuanian Sports University, LT-44221 Kaunas, Lithuania; Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | | | - Rymantė Gleiznienė
- Department of Radiology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Mati Pääsuke
- Institute of Sport Sciences and Physiotherapy, University of Tartu, Estonia
| | - Vilma Dudonienė
- Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Lithuanian Sports University, LT-44221 Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Uwe Himmelreich
- Biomedical MRI Unit, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Group Biomedical Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Vida J Česnaitienė
- Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Lithuanian Sports University, LT-44221 Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Nerijus Masiulis
- Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Lithuanian Sports University, LT-44221 Kaunas, Lithuania; Department of Rehabilitation, Physical and Sports Medicine, Institute of Health Science, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
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Jesmanas S, Norvainytė K, Gleiznienė R, Šimoliūnienė R, Endzinienė M. Different MRI-defined tuber types in tuberous sclerosis complex: Quantitative evaluation and association with disease manifestations. Brain Dev 2018; 40:196-204. [PMID: 29258718 DOI: 10.1016/j.braindev.2017.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2017] [Revised: 11/23/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a rare genetic disorder with multisystem involvement. A magnetic-resonance (MRI) based classification of tubers into types A, B and C has been proposed. However, the relationship between different tuber types and their quantitative characteristics, also the non-neurological manifestations of TSC remains unknown. AIMS To quantitatively evaluate different MRI-defined tuber types and to explore their relationships with major disease manifestations in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex. METHODS We performed quantitative manual assessment of tubers visible on T1W, T2W/FLAIR images and DW/ADC maps of 20 patients with TSC. Tubers were classified into types A, B and C based on their signal intensity on MRI. General clinical information and quantitative tuber characteristics were evaluated. Between-group comparisons were made using the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test with Bonferroni correction. RESULTS In total, 20 patients with 770 tubers were evaluated. Type A tubers were most numerous followed closely by Type B tubers, whereas Type C tubers were relatively rare. Tuber size was markedly different among the three tuber types: it increased from Type A to Type B to Type C. Infantile spasms, generalized-tonic clonic seizures, poor seizure control, cardiac rhabdomyomas, SEGA and developmental delay were not associated with quantitative tuber characteristics. Increased total Type B tuber load was associated with early onset epilepsy, while individually larger Type A and Type B tubers were associated with the presence angiomyolipoma (AML) and renal cysts. CONCLUSIONS MRI-defined tuber types differ significantly in their size and number. Larger total Type B tuber load and larger individual Type A and Type B tubers were found to be most associated with early seizure onset and renal angiomyolipomas, respectively. One possible explanation for the observed differences in the clinical phenotype based on MRI-defined tuber types is not the intrinsic qualitative distinctions between different tuber types, but rather their individual size and total tuber load.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simonas Jesmanas
- Faculty of Medicine, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Lithuania
| | - Kristina Norvainytė
- Faculty of Medicine, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Lithuania
| | - Rymantė Gleiznienė
- Radiology Department, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Lithuania
| | - Renata Šimoliūnienė
- Department of Physics, Mathematics and Biophysics, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Lithuania
| | - Milda Endzinienė
- Neurology Department, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Lithuania.
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Laučkaitė K, Rastenytė D, Šurkienė D, Vaidelytė B, Dambrauskaitė G, Sakalauskas A, Vaitkus A, Gleiznienė R. Ultrasonographic (TCS) and clinical findings in overlapping phenotype of essential tremor and Parkinson's disease (ET-PD). BMC Neurol 2014; 14:54. [PMID: 24655437 PMCID: PMC3998107 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2377-14-54] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2013] [Accepted: 03/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Essential tremor (ET) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are considered distinct disorders. The aim of the study was to look for a link or any distinguishing features by transcranial sonography (TCS), together with the clinical examination findings in a group of patients with overlapping phenotype of ET and PD (ET-PD). METHODS A prospective observational case-control study was carried out from the 3rd January 2011 until 30th January 2013 at the Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. The final study group consisted of 15 patients with ET-PD, 116 patients with ET-only and 141 patients with PD-only. The control group included 101 subjects. Clinical diagnosis was of a diagnostic standard. RESULTS The main ultrasonographic findings in the ET-PD group were similar to those of the PD-only: hyperechogenicity of the substantia nigra (66.7%, p < 0.001) and nuclei raphe interruptions/absence (38.5%, p < 0.001). The single distinguishing TCS finding in ET-PD group was a lentiform nucleus hyperechogenicity (26.7%), however this was only significant when compared to controls (p = 0.006). An asymmetrical onset of symptoms (73.3%) in ET-PD group was characteristic to PD-only. The ET-PD patients had the longest disease duration (median 6 years, p < 0.001), the most frequent rate of positive family history (53.3%, p = 0.005), rather low prevalence of cogwheel rigidity (26.7%, p < 0.001), and higher mean Hoehn & Yahr scores compared to PD-only (2.6 ± 0.8 vs. 1.8 ± 0.8, p = 0.012). CONCLUSIONS The main TCS findings of the present study in patients with overlapping ET-PD phenotype were similar to the PD-only group. The highest positive family history rate among ET-PD patients indicates a strong hereditary predisposition and needs genetic underpinnings. Some ET patients, who look like they may be developing co-morbid PD clinically, may have an alternative diagnosis for Parkinsonism, which could be delineated by TCS examination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Laučkaitė
- Department of Neurology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Academy of Medicine, Mickevičiaus street 9, Kaunas LT-44307, Lithuania
| | - Daiva Rastenytė
- Department of Neurology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Academy of Medicine, Mickevičiaus street 9, Kaunas LT-44307, Lithuania
| | - Danguolė Šurkienė
- Department of Neurology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Academy of Medicine, Mickevičiaus street 9, Kaunas LT-44307, Lithuania
| | - Birutė Vaidelytė
- Department of Neurology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Academy of Medicine, Mickevičiaus street 9, Kaunas LT-44307, Lithuania
| | - Gabrielė Dambrauskaitė
- Department of Neurology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Academy of Medicine, Mickevičiaus street 9, Kaunas LT-44307, Lithuania
| | - Andrius Sakalauskas
- Kaunas University of Technology, Biomedical Engineering Institute, Studentų street Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Antanas Vaitkus
- Department of Neurology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Academy of Medicine, Mickevičiaus street 9, Kaunas LT-44307, Lithuania
| | - Rymantė Gleiznienė
- Department of Radiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Academy of Medicine, Mickevičiaus street 9, Kaunas, Lithuania
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Randakevičienė G, Gleiznienė R, Nylander R. Susac's Syndrome: A Case Presentation and Radiological Approach to this Rare Autoimmune Endotheliopathy. Medicina (Kaunas) 2013; 49:15-17. [PMID: 23652712] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Susac's syndrome is an uncommon neurologic disorder, consisting of the clinical triad of encephalopathy, branch retinal artery occlusions, and hearing loss. We report a case of a sudden vision and hearing impairment in a 35-year-old female patient. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed multiple lesions in the white matter and the corpus callosum, typical of Susac's syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Goda Randakevičienė
- Department of Radiology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Eivenių 2, 50028 Kaunas, Lithuania.
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Randakevičienė G, Gleiznienė R, Basevičius A, Lukoševičius S. An extremely rare case of glioblastoma multiforme of the spinal cord. Medicina (Kaunas) 2013; 49:242-245. [PMID: 24247921] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Being the most common glial cell tumor of the adult brain, primary glioblastoma multiforme is an extremely rare but excessively devastating condition of the spinal cord. It presents with indistinctive magnetic resonance imaging findings, so the diagnosis is very complicated to make. A low-grade glioma may undergo a malignant transformation into glioblastoma multiforme in a very short period, critically impairing treatment possibilities and prognosis, so a correct and timely diagnosis is crucial. We report a case of intramedullary glioblastoma multiforme in a young man and describe the diagnostic difficulties and devastating progression of the entity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Goda Randakevičienė
- Department of Radiology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Scien-ces, Eivenių 2, 50028 Kaunas, Lithuania.
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Laučkaitė K, Rastenytė D, Šurkienė D, Vaitkus A, Sakalauskas A, Lukoševičius A, Gleiznienė R. Specificity of transcranial sonography in parkinson spectrum disorders in comparison to degenerative cognitive syndromes. BMC Neurol 2012; 12:12. [PMID: 22400906 PMCID: PMC3317847 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2377-12-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2011] [Accepted: 03/08/2012] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Hyperechogenicity of the substantia nigra (SN+), detected by transcranial sonography (TCS), was reported as a characteristic finding in Parkinson's disease (PD), with high diagnostic accuracy values, when compared mainly to healthy controls or essential tremor (ET) group. However, some data is accumulating that the SN + could be detected in other neurodegenerative and even in non-neurodegenerative disorders too. Our aim was to estimate the diagnostic accuracy of TCS, mainly focusing on the specificity point, when applied to a range of the parkinsonian disorders, and comparing to the degenerative cognitive syndromes. Methods A prospective study was carried out at the Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences from January until September 2011. Initially, a TCS and clinical examination were performed on 258 patients and 76 controls. The General Electric Voluson 730 Expert ultrasound system was used. There were 12.8% of cases excluded with insufficient temporal bones, and 4.3% excluded with an unclear diagnosis. The studied sample consisted of the groups: PD (n = 71, 33.2%), ET (n = 58, 27.1%), PD and ET (n = 10, 4.7%), atypical parkinsonian syndromes (APS) (n = 3, 1.4%), hereditary neurodegenerative parkinsonism (HDP) (n = 3, 1.4%), secondary parkinsonism (SP) (n = 23, 10.8%), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (n = 33, 15.4%), dementia (n = 13, 6.1%), and control (n = 71). Results There were 80.3% of PD patients at stages 1 & 2 according to Hoehn and Yahr. At the cut-off value of 0.20 cm2 of the SN+, the sensitivity for PD was 94.3% and the specificity - 63.3% (ROC analysis, AUC 0.891), in comparison to the rest of the cohort. At the cut-off value of 0.26 cm2, the sensitivity was 90% and the specificity 82.4%. The estimations for the lowest specificity for PD, in comparison to the latter subgroups (at the cut-off values of 0.20 cm2 and 0.26 cm2, respectively) were: 0% and 33.3% to APS, 33.3% and 66.7% to HDP, 34.8% and 69.6% to SP, 55.2% and 82.8% to ET, 75% and 91.7% to dementia. Conclusions The high sensitivity of the test could be employed as a valuable screening tool. But TCS is more useful as a supplementary diagnostic method, due to the specificity values not being comprehensive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Laučkaitė
- Department of Neurology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Academy of Medicine, Mickevičiaus street 9, Kaunas, Lithuania.
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Moreira NC, Nylander R, Briaukaitė I, Vėlyvytė S, Gleiznienė R, Monastyreckienė E. Superficial siderosis: a case report. Medicina (Kaunas) 2011; 47:320-322. [PMID: 21968884] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Superficial siderosis of the central nervous system is the result of chronic recurrent hemorrhages (e.g., arteriovenous malformations, tumors, or trauma), which leads to the accumulation of cytotoxic hemosiderin and presents with hearing loss, cerebellar dysfunction, and myelopathy. This article presents a clinical case of an 11-year-old boy in whom the diagnosis of medulloblastoma was established. He underwent surgery, and after a few years, he began to complain of hearing loss. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed the cause of the hearing disturbance. The aim of this article is to review the recent literature related to the etiology, clinical and radiologic features of superficial siderosis, emphasizing the role of magnetic resonance imaging.
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Leskauskas D, Kunca G, Adomaitienė V, Gleiznienė R, Labanauskas L. Diagnosis and treatment of conduct disorder related to frontal lobe syndrome in a 16-year-old girl. Medicina (Kaunas) 2010; 46:827-834. [PMID: 21532287] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Conduct disorders are the most frequent psychiatric diagnosis in the pediatric and adolescent population, with different etiology and difficult to treat. Delinquent, aggressive, and impulsive behavior, lack of empathy and inability to predict possible consequences of the behavior lead to significant desadaptation and danger for these patients. In clinical practice, focus is usually given on social and psychological causes of conduct disorders ignoring possible biological factors in etiology and pathophysiology. A clinical case described in this article shows the linkage between frontal brain dysfunction and behavioral symptoms. The first clues of organic brain disorder were multiple and severe symptoms of disinhibition resistant to treatment with dopaminergic drugs and the results of neuropsychological testing. Computed tomography, magnetic resonance imagining, and single-photon emission computed tomography findings were minor and not supported by associated neurological symptoms. However, the location of alterations of brain structure and perfusion significantly correlated with psychopathology. Clarification of the organic cause of the conduct disorder allowed choosing an effective strategy of psychopharmacologic treatment. A positive clinical effect was achieved after switching the treatment from dopaminergic antipsychotic drugs to carbamazepine, which modulates the GABAergic system. Presenting this clinical case, we intended to emphasize the importance of careful attention to the findings of neurovisual and neuropsychological testing diagnosing conduct disorders and individually choosing the most effective psychopharmacologic treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darius Leskauskas
- Department of Psychiatry, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Eivenių 2, 50028 Kaunas, Lithuania.
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