• Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.202-211
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• 2022

BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate normal changes throughout aging of the heart in cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in healthy volunteers. While type 2 diabetes mellitus is a frequent finding in the elderly population, also the influence of this circumstance in otherwise healthy persons is part of our study. METHODS: In this prospective single-center trial, 75 healthy subjects in distinct age groups and 10 otherwise healthy diabetics were enrolled. All subjects underwent functional, flow sensitive, native T2- and T1-mapping in a 1.5T CMR scanner. RESULTS: No differences in right and left ventricular ejection fractions were observed between aging healthy groups. Bi-ventricular volumes lowered significantly (p<0.001) between the age groups. There was also a significant decrease in myocardial T1 values, aortic distensibility, and left ventricular peak diastolic strain rates. There were no differences in T2 mapping and the other deformation parameters. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus had lower end-diastolic volume indexes; all the other measurements were comparable. CONCLUSIONS: Aging processes in the healthy heart involve a decrease in ventricular volumes, with ejection fractions remaining normal. Stiffening of the myocardium and aorta and a decrease in T1 values are potential indications of age-related remodeling. Type 2 diabetes mellitus seems to have no major influence on aging processes of the heart.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.1303-1306
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• 2004

We developed a symmetrical upper limb motion trainer for chronic hemiparetic subjects. This trainer enabled the practice of a forearm pronatio $n^ination and wrist flexion/extension. In this study, we have used functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI) with the developed symmetrical upper limb motion device, to compare brain activation patterns elicited by flexion/extension wrist movements of control and hemiparetic subject group. In control group, contralateral somatosensory cortex(SMC) and bilateral cerebellum were activated by dominant hand movement(Task 1), while bilateral movements by dominant hand(Task 2) activated the SMC in both cerebral hemispheres and ipsilateral cerebellum. However, in hemiparetic subject group, contralateral supplymentary motor area(SMA) was activated by unaffected hand movement(Task 1), while the activation of bilateral movements by unaffected hand(Task 2) showed only SMA in the undamaged hemisphere. This study, demonstrating the ability to accurately measure activation in both sensory and motor cortex, is currently being extended to patients in clinical applications such as the recovery of motor function after stroke.ke.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.130-133
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• 2022

Several studies have reported a possible link between anti-aquaporin-4 antibody and vitamin B12 deficiency in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). Bilaterally symmetric hyperintense signals on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the posterior columns, called the inverted V sign, are a characteristic feature of subacute combined degeneration associated with vitamin B12 deficiency. We report a patient with anti-aquaporin-4 antibody-positive NMOSD and an inverted V sign on MRI of the spinal cord and address the association between anti-aquaporin-4 antibody and functional vitamin B12 deficiency.

• Smart Media Journal
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.86-93
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• 2024

The development of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has significantly contributed to mapping brain functions and understanding brain networks during rest. This paper proposes a CNN-LSTM-based classification model to classify the progression stages of Alzheimer's disease. Firstly, four preprocessing steps are performed to remove noise from the fMRI data before feature extraction. Secondly, the U-Net architecture is utilized to extract spatial features once preprocessing is completed. Thirdly, the extracted spatial features undergo LSTM processing to extract temporal features, ultimately leading to classification. Experiments were conducted by adjusting the temporal dimension of the data. Using 5-fold cross-validation, an average accuracy of 96.4% was achieved, indicating that the proposed method has high potential for identifying the progression of Alzheimer's disease by analyzing fMRI data.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.1110-1118
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• 2018

Objective: To perform a meta-analysis to quantitatively assess functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of locally recurrent prostate cancer. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive search of the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews was conducted from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2016. Diagnostic accuracy was quantitatively pooled for all studies by using hierarchical logistic regression modeling, including bivariate modeling and hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic (HSROC) curves (AUCs). The Z test was used to determine whether adding functional MRI to T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) results in significantly increased diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. Results: Meta-analysis of 13 studies involving 826 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy showed a pooled sensitivity and specificity of 91%, and the AUC was 0.96. Meta-analysis of 7 studies involving 329 patients who underwent radiotherapy showed a pooled sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 81%, and the AUC was 0.88. Meta-analysis of 11 studies reporting 1669 sextant biopsies from patients who underwent radiotherapy showed a pooled sensitivity of 54% and specificity of 91%, and the AUC was 0.85. Sensitivity after radiotherapy was significantly higher when diffusion-weighted MRI data were combined with T2WI than when only T2WI results were used. This was true when meta-analysis was performed on a per-patient basis (p = 0.027) or per sextant biopsy (p = 0.046). A similar result was found when $^1H$-magnetic resonance spectroscopy ($^1H$-MRS) data were combined with T2WI and sextant biopsy was the unit of analysis (p = 0.036). Conclusion: Functional MRI data may not strengthen the ability of T2WI to detect locally recurrent prostate cancer in patients who have undergone radical prostatectomy. By contrast, diffusion-weight MRI and $^1H$-MRS data may improve the sensitivity of T2WI for patients who have undergone radiotherapy.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.551-558
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• 2010

Pain is very complex and multi-level experience that should be objective or subjective. Acupuncture is a traditional method to heal the pain and have been based on meridian theory. There have been many clinical evidences showing the pain-relieving effect of acupuncture but science-based understanding of it was poor. Furthermore in daily life, we feel huge gap between the source of pain and pain control by acupuncture stimulation. However, the underlying connection between pain control and acupuncture stimulation has been reported in many recent reports. In this paper, we briefly introduce the brain imaging techniques (functional magnetic resonance images, positron emission tomography, electroencephalograph, and magnetoencephalography) and review researches in pain and acupuncture. Through this, the brain areas that activated by pain and acupuncture will be verified, and compared each other regarding their specificity and similarity. In addition, detailed understanding of brain function which is related to pain and acupuncture analgesia through brain imaging techniques will be discussed.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.49-53
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• 2002

Orofacial pain can be caused by intracranial disorders or can be musculoskeletal, vascular, internal derangemental, and neurologic in origin. The neurologic pain is derived from structural and functional disorders of nerve, and the trigeminal neuralgia is the typical manifestation. Trigeminal neuralgia is known from centuries ago, and is one of the most common pains in human. We present our experience with three patients who have trigeminal neuralgia. The first case is a 50-year-old female who had no specific evidence radiographically. Second is a 50-year-old male with microvascular compression on right trigeminal nerve. The third case is a 60-year-old female who had a neoplasm in cerebellopontine angle with associated mass effect.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.384-394
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• 2021

Objective: To quantitatively assess biochemical alterations in the cartilage of the subtalar and midtarsal joints in chronic lateral ankle instability (CLAI) patients with isolated anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) injuries and combined calcaneofibular ligament (CFL) injuries using MRI T2 mapping. Materials and Methods: This study was performed according to regulations of the Committee for Human Research at our institution, and written informed consent was obtained from all participants. Forty CLAI patients (26 with isolated ATFL injuries and 14 with combined ATFL and CFL injuries) and 25 healthy subjects were recruited for this study. All participants underwent MRI scans with T2 mapping. Patients were assessed with the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) rating system. The subtalar and midtarsal joints were segmented into 14 cartilage subregions. The T2 value of each subregion was measured from T2 mapping images. Data were analyzed with ANOVA, the Student's t test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results: T2 values of most subregions of the subtalar joint and the calcaneal facet of the calcaneocuboid joint in CLAI patients with combined CFL injuries were higher than those in healthy controls (all p < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in T2 values in subtalar and midtarsal joints between patients with isolated ATFL injuries and healthy controls (all p > 0.05). Moreover, T2 values of the medial talar subregions of the posterior subtalar joint in patients with combined CFL injuries showed negative correlations with the AOFAS scores (r = -0.687, p = 0.007; r = -0.609, p = 0.021, respectively). Conclusion: CLAI with combined CFL injuries can lead to cartilage degeneration in subtalar and calcaneocuboid joints, while an isolated ATFL injury might not have a significant impact on the cartilage in these joints.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.47-52
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• 1999

Purpose : The purpose of this study was aimed to evaluate the BOLD(blood oxygen level dependent) contrast fMRI(functional MR imaging) in the occipital lobe and to compare with the metabolic changes based on H MRS (MR spectroscopy) and MRSI (MR spectroscopic imaging) before and after visual stimulation Materials and Methods : Healthy human volunteers (eight males and two females with 24-30 year age) participated in this study. All of the BOLD fMRI were acquired on a 1.5T MR with EPI during supervised visual stimulation in the occipital lobe. The red flicker with 8Hz was used for visual stimulation. After imaging acquisition, the MR images were transferred into unix workstation and processed with acquired from the same location based on the activation map. MRSI (magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging) was also acquired to analyze the lactate changes before and after stimulation. Results : The activation maps were successfully produced by BOLD effect due to visual stimulation. NAA (N-acetyle aspartate)/Cr (creatine) ratio varied only from $1.79{\pm}0.28{\;}to{\;}1.88{\pm}0.20$ in activation area before and after stimulation. However, the signal intensity of lactate was elevated $9.48{\pm}4.38$ times higher than before activation. Lactate metabolite images were consistent with the activation maps. Conclusion : The BOLD contrast fMRI is enough sensitive to detect the activated area in human brain during the visual stimulation. Lactate metabolite map presents the evidence of lactate elevation on the same area of activation.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.23-35
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• 2021

Fear conditioning and extinction, which are adaptive processes to learn and avoid potential threats, have essential roles in the pathophysiology of anxiety disorders. Experimental fear conditioning and extinction have been used to identify the mechanism of fear and anxiety in humans. However, the brain-based mechanisms of fear conditioning and extinction are yet to be established. In the current review, we summarized the results of neuroimaging studies that examined the brain changes-functional activity and structures-regarding fear conditioning or extinction in healthy individuals. The functional activity of the amygdala, insula, anterior cingulate gyrus, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus changed dynamically with both fear conditioning and extinction. This review may provide an up-to-date summary that may broaden our understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms of anxiety disorder. In addition, the brain regions that are involved in the fear conditioning and extinction may be considered as potential treatment targets in the future studies.