• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• 제40권5호
• /
• pp.342-345
• /
• 2006

Objective : Gamma Knife Surgery[GKS] for the management of pineal region tumors is challengeable strategy as direct access to this area is not easy. The experiences of pineal region tumor patients treated with GKS were analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness. Methods : Seven patients with tumors in the pineal region were treated with GKS between September 1998 and May 2005. The histological diagnosis were pineal parenchymal tumor [2 patients], low-grade astrocytoma [2 patients], immature teratoma [1 patient], and choriocarninoma [1 patient]. One patient was diagnosed as metastatic brain tumor based on histological diagnosis for primary site and brain imaging study. The median marginal dose was 15Gy [range; $11{\sim}20$] at the 50% isodose line. The median target volume was $2.5cm^3$ [range; $0.8{\sim}12.5$]. The median clinical follow up period was 29 months [range; $13{\sim}93$] and the median radiological follow up period was 18 months [range; $6{\sim}73$]. Results : Tumor volume measured in follow-up images showed reduction in six patients, disappearance in one. No adverse effect due to GKS was found during the follow-up period. The performance status was preserved in all patients except one who died due to progression of primary cancer in spite of controlled metastatic brain lesion. Conclusion : Gamma Knife Surgery can be applied to pineal region tumors irrespective of their histology whenever surgery is not indicated.

• 한국멀티미디어학회논문지
• /
• 제9권9호
• /
• pp.1150-1159
• /
• 2006

본 논문에서는 지오데식 동적 윤곽선 모델을 이용하여 뇌실 영역을 검출하기 위하여 기존의 에지지시함수를 대신한 영역 기반의 곡선진행억제 함수를 제안하였다. 제안한 곡선 진행 억제 함수는 뇌실 영역의 검출에 매우 효과적이었으며, 이 함수는 MRI 영상에서 밝게 나타나는 뇌실 영역의 평균 밝기를 기반으로 한다. 본 논문에서는 제안한 방법이 기존의 방법보다 뇌실 영역을 잘 검출할 수 있음을 다양한 척도를 이용하여 수치적으로 비교하였다. 실제 정상과 뇌종양에 의한 뇌질환 영상에 적용시켜 뇌실 검출 과정을 시각적으로 비교하여 우수성을 검증하였다.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• /
• 제26권2호
• /
• pp.96-103
• /
• 2022

Purpose: The survival of organisms critically depends on avoidance responses to life-threatening stimuli. Information about dangerous situations needs to be remembered to produce defensive behavior. To investigate underlying brain regions to process information of danger, manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) was used in olfactory fear-conditioned rats. Materials and Methods: Fear conditioning was conducted in male Sprague-Dawley rats. The animals received nasal injections of manganese chloride solution to monitor brain activation for olfactory information processing. Twenty-four hours after manganese injection, rats were exposed to electric foot shocks with odor cue for one hour. Control rats were exposed to the same odor cue without foot shocks. Forty-eight hours after the conditioning, rats were anesthetized and their brains were scanned with 9.4T MRI. Acquired images were processed and statistical analyses were performed using AFNI. Results: Manganese injection enhanced brain areas involved in olfactory information pathways in T1 weighted images. Rats that received foot shocks showed higher brain activation in the central nucleus of the amygdala, septum, primary motor cortex, and preoptic area. In contrast, control rats displayed greater signals in the orbital cortex and nucleus accumbens. Conclusion: Nasal delivery of manganese solution enhanced olfactory signal pathways in rats. Odor cue paired with foot shocks activated amygdala, the central brain region in fear, and related brain circuits. Use of MEMRI in fear conditioning provides a reliable monitoring technique of brain activation for fear learning.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
• /
• 제22권7호
• /
• pp.1194-1202
• /
• 2021

Objective: To investigate the age-dependent changes in regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) in healthy adults by fitting mathematical models to imaging data. Materials and Methods: In this prospective study, 90 healthy adults underwent pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling imaging of the brain. Regional CBF values were extracted from the arterial spin labeling images of each subject. Multivariable regression with the Akaike information criterion, link test, and F test (Ramsey's regression equation specification error test) was performed for 7 models in every brain region to determine the best mathematical model for fitting the relationship between CBF and age. Results: Of all 87 brain regions, 68 brain regions were best fitted by cubic models, 9 brain regions were best fitted by quadratic models, and 10 brain regions were best fitted by linear models. In most brain regions (global gray matter and the other 65 brain regions), CBF decreased nonlinearly with aging, and the rate of CBF reduction decreased with aging, gradually approaching 0 after approximately 60. CBF in some regions of the frontal, parietal, and occipital lobes increased nonlinearly with aging before age 30, approximately, and decreased nonlinearly with aging for the rest of life. Conclusion: In adults, the age-related perfusion patterns in most brain regions were best fitted by the cubic models, and age-dependent CBF changes were nonlinear.

• 융합신호처리학회논문지
• /
• 제12권4호
• /
• pp.267-273
• /
• 2011

본 논문은 자기공명 뇌영상을 대상으로 뇌종양 영역을 자동으로 분할하기 위한 방법을 제안한다. 정상적인 뇌영상은 좌우로 대칭인 특징을 지니는 반면에 종양이 존재하는 뇌영상은 종양세포와 부종 및 괴사로 인해 비대칭적인 특징을 가진다. 본 논문에서는 이러한 대칭성을 뇌영상내에 종양영역의 존재 유무를 판별할 수 있는 기준으로 이용한다. 대칭성 분석을 위해서 뇌영역의 윤곽선 정보를 이용해 중심축을 생성하였으며 이는 사전정보를 이용하지 않고 영상의 자체 정보만을 해석해서 중심축을 추출할 수 있다는 점에서 기존의 영상 정합을 통해 해부학적 위치 정보를 추출하고 이를 이용하여 중심축을 찾는 방법과 구별된다. 자기공명 영상에서 정상뇌의 조직은 크게 3가지 클러스터로 분할되며 각 클러스터가 포함하는 영역은 백질과 회백질영역을 포함하는 뇌 실질영역, 뇌척수액(csf)영역, 두개골, 지방 및 뇌막 영역 등으로 나뉜다. 종양이 포함된 영상은 종양과 부종 및 괴사 영역이 추가적으로 존재하며 이는 클러스터링을 이용한 분할을 통해서 구분될 수 있다. 분할된 종양 영역의 중심점은 다음 슬라이스의 종양 영역의 경계를 검출하기 위한 레벨셋 알고리즘에 적용되어 전체 볼륨의 종양 영역의 경계선을 추출하기 위한 초기 시드로 이용된다. 본 논문에서는 3차원 볼륨의 영상(슬라이스)중에서 종양 영역이 존재하는 슬라이스의 종양 영역을 분할하여 이후의 슬라이스에서는 분할작업을 수행하지 않고 영역의 경계선만 추출한다. 자카드 지수와 처리 시간의 비교 분석을 통해 기존의 방법과 비슷한 성능과 빠른 속도로 종양 영역을 분할할 수 있다는 것을 보인다.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
• /
• 제20권1호
• /
• pp.59-68
• /
• 1999

본 논문에서는 뇌량의 형태정보와 통계적 특성을 이용한 중앙시상 두뇌자기공명영상의 뇌량자동인식 알고리즘을 제안한다. 제안된 알고리즘에서는 우선 뇌량의 통계적 특성에 일치하는 영역들을 추출하고 형태정보와 일치하는 영역을 검출한다. 이러한 형태정합을 위해 기존의 윤곽정합알고리즘 대신에 통계적인 특성을 적응적으로 변화시켜 형태정보와 일치하는 영역을 검출하는 방향성 창영역확장 알고리즘을 제안하였다. 실험결과 제안된 알고리즘의 우수성을 확인할 수 있었다.

• 대한의생명과학회지
• /
• 제13권1호
• /
• pp.1-10
• /
• 2007

Nebulin, a giant modular protein from muscle, is thought to act as molecular ruler in sarcomere assembly. In skeletal muscle, the C-terminal ${\sim}50 kDa$ region of nebulin extends into the Z-line lattice. The most recent studies implicated highlighting its extensive isoform diversity and exciting reports revealed its expression in cardiac and non-muscle tissues containing brain. Also these novel findings are indicating that nebulin is actually a multifunctional filament system, perhaps playing roles in signal transduction, contractile regulation, and myofibril force generation, as well as other not yet defined functions. However the binding protein of nebulin and function in brain is still unknown. A novel binding partner of nebulin C-terminal region was identified by screening a human brain cDNA library using yeast two-hybrid system. Nebulin C-terminus binding protein 51 (NCBP51) was contained a RING-finger domain and identified a new isoform of RING finger protein 125 (RNF125). The interaction was confirmed using the GST pull-down assay. NCBP51 belongs to a family of the RING finger proteins and its function remains to be identified in brain. The role of nebulin and NCBP51 will be studied by loss-of-function using siRNA technique in brain.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• 제42권3호
• /
• pp.245-251
• /
• 2019

Ependymal cells constitute the multi-ciliated epithelium, which lines the brain ventricular lumen. Although ependymal cells originate from radial glial cells in the perinatal rodent brain, the exact mechanisms underlying the full differentiation of ependymal cells are poorly understood. In this report, we present evidence that the Anks1a phosphotyrosine binding domain (PTB) adaptor is required for the proper development of ependymal cells in the rodent postnatal brain. Anks1a gene trap targeted LacZ reporter analysis revealed that Anks1a is expressed prominently in the ventricular region of the early postnatal brain and that its expression is restricted to mature ependymal cells during postnatal brain development. In addition, Anks1a-deficient ependymal cells were shown to possess type B cell characteristics, suggesting that ependymal cells require Anks1a in order to be fully differentiated. Finally, Anks1a overexpression in the lateral wall of the neonatal brain resulted in an increase in the number of ependymal cells during postnatal brain development. Altogether, our results suggest that ependymal cells require Anks1a PTB adaptor for their proper development.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
• /
• 제23권1호
• /
• pp.39-47
• /
• 2002

본 연구의 목적은 선형 변환을 이용한 레지스트레이션의 정확도를 높이는데 있다. 서로 다른 개인간의 뇌영상을 비교분석하기 위해서는 공통된 좌표계로 각 영상을 변환하는 작업이 필요하다 정확한 변환을 위해서는 전체적인 뇌영상의 매치와 국소적 영역의 매치가 모두 중요하다 일반적으로 상호정보를 이용한 레지스트레이션은 전체적인 뇌영상을 매치시키는데 유리하다. 그러나 관심영역에 대한 매치는 특징기반 레지스트레이션 방법이 더 유리하다. 본 논문에서 제시하는 통합 레지스트레이션은 특징정보와 더불어 복셀기반의 상호정보를 함께 사용하였다. 이러한 접근 방법은 정신분열증을 판단하는 기준으로 많이 사용되는 뇌량을 포함하는 뇌의 중심부분의 매칭에 유리함을 실험을 통해 확인하였다 상호정보만을 사용하는 복셀기반 레지스트레이션이나 탈라이락 좌표계를 이용한 정규화에 비해 본 연구의 통합 레지스트레이션은 전체적 뇌영상 뿐만 아니라 관심 영역에서의 레지스트레이션 오차가 더 작았다.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• 제43권4호
• /
• pp.331-339
• /
• 2020

Genetic modifications in noncoding regulatory regions are likely critical to human evolution. Human-accelerated noncoding elements are highly conserved noncoding regions among vertebrates but have large differences across humans, which implies human-specific regulatory potential. In this study, we found that human-accelerated noncoding elements were frequently coupled with DNase I hypersensitive sites (DHSs), together with monomethylated and trimethylated histone H3 lysine 4, which are active regulatory markers. This coupling was particularly pronounced in fetal brains relative to adult brains, non-brain fetal tissues, and embryonic stem cells. However, fetal brain DHSs were also specifically enriched in deeply conserved sequences, implying coexistence of universal maintenance and human-specific fitness in human brain development. We assessed whether this coexisting pattern was a general one by quantitatively measuring evolutionary rates of DHSs. As a result, fetal brain DHSs showed a mixed but distinct signature of regional conservation and outlier point acceleration as compared to other DHSs. This finding suggests that brain developmental sequences are selectively constrained in general, whereas specific nucleotides are under positive selection or constraint relaxation simultaneously. Hence, we hypothesize that human- or primate-specific changes to universally conserved regulatory codes of brain development may drive the accelerated, and most likely adaptive, evolution of the regulatory network of the human brain.