Atsushi Umetsu

Neural Basis of the Retrieval of People's Names: Evidence from Brain-Damaged Patients and fMRI

The aim of this study was to identify the neuroanatomical basis of the retrieval of peoples names. Lesion data showed that patients with language-dominant temporal lobectomy had impairments in their ability to retrieve familiar and newly learned peoples names, whereas patients with language-nondominant temporal lobectomy had difficulty retrieving newly learned peoples names. Functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments revealed activations in the left temporal polar region during the retrieval of familiar and newly learned peoples names, and in the right superior temporal and bilateral prefrontal cortices during the retrieval of newly learned information from face cues. These data provide new evidence that the left anterior temporal region is crucial for the retrieval of peoples names irrespective of their familiarity and that the right superior temporal and bilateral prefrontal areas are crucial for the process of associating newly learned peoples faces and names.

Neural Basis of Temporal Context Memory: A Functional MRI Study

Temporal context information is crucial to understanding human episodic memory. Human lesion and neuroimaging data indicate that prefrontal regions are important for retrieving temporal context memory, although the exact nature of their involvement is still unclear. We employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to elucidate the neural basis of two kinds of temporal context memory: the temporal order of items between lists and within a list. On the day of the fMRI experiment, subjects memorized a list of 30 pictures in the morning and another list of 30 pictures in the afternoon. During the scanning session, the subjects performed three tasks. In a between-lists task, they were asked to judge the temporal order between two items that had been presented in different lists. In a within-list task, they were asked to judge the temporal order between two items that had been presented in a single list. We found bilateral prefrontal activities during these two temporal context memory tasks compared with a simple item-recognition task. Furthermore, in direct comparison between these two tasks, we found differential prefrontal activities. Thus, right prefrontal activity was associated with temporal order judgment of items between lists, whereas left prefrontal activity was related to temporal order judgment of items within a list. These results indicate that retrieval processes of two kinds of temporal context memory are supported by different, but overlapping, sets of cerebral regions. We speculate that this reflects different cognitive processes for retrieving temporal context memory between separate episodes and within a single episode.

Brain Activation during the Fist-Edge-Palm Test: A Functional MRI Study

The purpose of our study is to clarify, using functional MRI, brain regions activated during the fist-edge-palm task (FEP) compared to relatively simple hand motor tasks using either the right or the left hand in right-handed normal volunteers. The FEP was introduced to detect a disorder of voluntary movement, and it is believed to be closely related to contralateral frontal lobe damage. However, this assumption still remains controversial. Ten subjects participated in this study. Hand motor tasks were as follows: (1) the FEP, in which the subjects were requested to place their hand in three different positions sequentially: a fist resting horizontally, a palm resting vertically, and a palm resting horizontally; (2) a fist-palm task (FP), in which the subjects were asked to clench and unclench their fist alternately; and (3) a control task requiring the subjects to knock lightly with their clenched fist. The contralateral sensomotor and premotor areas were activated in the FP with the right hand and the contralateral sensorimotor, premotor, and supplementary motor areas (SMA) were activated in the FP with the left hand. In the FEP with either hand, bilateral premotor and left parietal areas and ipsilateral cerebellum were also activated as well as contralateral sensorimotor area and SMA. Our results suggest that successful performance of the FEP requires the participation of more brain areas than FP, which may explain why some patients without frontal lobe damage failed to perform the FEP.

Changes in brain activation patterns associated with learning of Korean words by Japanese: an fMRI study

We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to explore the change in brain activation associated with the learning of Korean words written in Han-gul characters (K-words) by young Japanese at two stages. Subjects were 12 right-handed native Japanese without previous knowledge of Korean words and characters. On the first day they were taught the pronunciation and meaning of 20 K-words. Then, after the first fMRI session (on day 2), they were given a set of 20 cards with the words and corresponding photographs. They also received a tape and were instructed to memorize the 20 K-words by studying them every day until the day of the second fMRI session (day 16). During the fMRI sessions, 20 Japanese words written in kana syllabograms (J-words) and the 20 previously presented K-words, as well as 20 new K-words (Kn-words) were presented visually for silent reading. The first J-word reading, relative to the first K-word reading, showed activation in the left angular gyrus. K-word reading relative to J-word reading during both sessions showed activation in occipital regions. Within these activated areas, session by condition interaction was found only in the left angular gyrus. The interaction between session and condition resulted from the fact that the differences in blood oxygenation-level-dependent signals between K-words and J-words and between Kn-words and J-words were significantly greater in the first session than in the second session. From the results, we concluded that patterns of brain activation changed as the memory of the 20 K-words became fixed through daily practice and that reading of both Korean words and Japanese syllabograms engaged the left angular gyrus.

Investigation of hydrocephalus with three-dimensional constructive interference in steady state MRI

Abstract We report four patients with various types of hydrocephalus in whom constructive interference in steady state (CISS) MRI disclosed the cause of the hydrocephalus. The imaging clearly delineated an abnormal contour of the ventricular system and intraventricular septa, essential information for surgical planning, including endoscopic surgery. Postoperative CISS images were useful for showing not only regression of hydrocephalus but also the patency of small fenestrations.

Ischemic White Matter Lesions Associated With Medullary Arteries: Classification of MRI Findings Based on the Anatomic Arterial Distributions

OBJECTIVE The purposes of this article are to describe the important role of the medullary arteries in the pathogenesis of cerebral vascular disease and to present a classification of MRI findings of ischemic white matter lesions for use in elucidating pathogenesis. CONCLUSION From the viewpoint of the anatomy of the medullary arteries, the pattern of medullary artery-related ischemic changes and infarcts can be classified into four types: 1, ischemic leukoaraiosis; 2, infarcts involving individual medullary arteries; 3, watershed infarcts; and 4, territorial infarcts.