Masahiko Bundo

Human visual motion areas determined individually by magnetoencephalography and 3D magnetic resonance imaging

We used magnetoencephalography to study inter‐individual locational difference in the extrastriate region which responds to visual motion. Magnetic responses to visual motion onset from the right temporo‐occipital area were recorded from 12 subjects. All the subjects had clear responses to apparent or random dot coherent motion. The origins of these responses was investigated by use of the single equivalent current dipole model. The nearest scalp to the origin also was identified for each subject, which may be useful in transcranial stimulation studies. Although the magnetic responses of all the subjects should have the same functional properties; be related to neural activities synchronized exclusively to the onset of motion, the estimated origins varied greatly among the subjects. The location of origin could be classified as one of three types: temporo‐occipital, occipital, or parietal, according to the sulcal anatomy investigated in the individuals three‐dimensional magnetic resonance image. Temporo‐occipital types were found for seven subjects, and anatomically the regions were around human MT/V5. Two subjects had the occipital type, with regions posterior to the anatomical MT/V5 and corresponding to V3A anatomically. The other three subjects had origins classified as the parietal type dorso‐rostral to the anatomical MT/V5, with regions around the posterior end of the superior temporal sulcus. Although all these cortical regions appear to be related to the neural process of visual motion, whether they correspond functionally to the same names or migrated MT/V5 must now be determined. Hum. Brain Mapping 11:33–45, 2000.

Neural Activation of the Brain with Hemodynamic Insufficiency

Little is known about how ischemia affects hemodynamic responses to neural activation in the brain. We compare the effects of a motor activation task and a cerebral vasodilating agent, acetazolamide (ACZ), on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in primary sensorimotor cortex (PSM) in six patients with major cerebral artery steno-occlusive lesions without paresis of the upper extremities. Quantitative rCBF was measured in all patients using H215 O autoradiographic method and positron emission tomography. The CBF was determined at rest, during a bimanual motor activation task, and 10 minutes after ACZ administration. With bimanual motor activation, rCBF increased significantly in both PSM compared with at rest (P < 0.01 on lesion side, and P < 0.02 on contralateral side). However, rCBF did not increase after ACZ injection in the PSM on the lesion side, whereas rCBF increased significantly in the contralateral PSM after ACZ injection compared with the level at rest. This result suggests that despite a decreased hemodynamic reserve, there is a nearly normal flow response to neural activation, indicating that the mechanism of vasodilation responsible for perfusion change is different for acetazolamide and neural activation. The relations among neural activation, hemodynamic status, and cerebral metabolism in the ischemic stroke patients are discussed.

The effect of musical experience on hemispheric lateralization in musical feature processing

Music consists of a variety of spectral and temporal features. Generally, brain processing of these features is reported as being right hemisphere dominant. However, there are contradicting results as to whether musical experience affects hemispheric laterality or not. In the present study, we investigated the effect of musical experience on hemispheric lateralization of musical feature processing using magnetoencephalography (MEG). Mismatch fields (MMFs) were measured from 8 musicians and 8 nonmusicians in oddball tasks with four different musical features, including pitch, chord, timbre and rhythm. Regardless of the features, the MMFs showed right-hemispheric dominance in nonmusicians, whereas musicians showed symmetrical MMF amplitudes in both hemispheres. The electrical activity around the auditory cortex to the MMFs also supported the right-hemispheric dominance in nonmusicians and bilateral activation in musicians. Voxel-based morphometry did not detect any group differences around the auditory cortices. These results suggest that musical training changes the hemispheric roles for musical feature processing in the pre-attentive stage, and this functional alteration can occur without apparent anatomical changes.

An abnormal accumulation of fluorine-18-FDG PET in cytomegalovirus enteritis—A case report

The source of a fever of unknown origin (FUO) and watery diarrhea in a 63-yr-old female with a history of disturbance of consciousness due to moyamoya disease was examined. Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), colonoscopy, blood analysis, and determination of cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigenemia were performed. FDG was found to be accumulated in the wall of a dilated colon, and extended from the transverse to sigmoid colon. Colonoscopy revealed edematous, inflammatory, and punched out lesions in accordance with the areas of abnormal FDG uptake. A biopsy specimen showed the antibody of CMV in the colonic mucosa, and CMV antigenemia was detected by an immunohistochemical assay using a monoclonal antibody for CMV pp65 antigen. From these findings, we strongly suspected CMV enteritis.

Asymmetrical enhancement of middle-latency auditory evoked fields with aging

We studied the effects of aging on middle-latency auditory evoked fields (P50m), and analyzed their interhemispheric differences. Magnetic responses following tone-burst stimuli to the right ear were measured in groups of 11 younger and 15 elderly subjects. The elderly subjects showed marked asymmetry in the P50m amplitudes. In the elderly group, the mean amplitude of the contralateral P50m was significantly larger (P<0.0005) than that of the ipsilateral P50m, while no asymmetry was shown in the younger group. The amplitude enlargement in the contralateral P50m showed significant correlation with age (R=0.60, P<0.005), while the ipsilateral P50m showed no correlation with age. These results suggest that the contralateral and ipsilateral auditory pathways are affected differently by ageing.

High- and moderately high-methionine uptake demonstrated by PET in a patient with a subacute cerebral infarction

In patients with cerebral tumors, high accumulations ofl-methyl-11C-methionine (11C-Met) have been reported in some cases of cerebral ischemic disease, but no high accumulations of11C-Met in areas where only transient arterial occlusions are most likely to occur have been reported. Herein we present a case of a high accumulation of11C-Met in an area of frontal interhemispheric cerebral infarction and a moderately high accumulation with an unclear margin in a distant frontal convexity area. A craniotomy revealed a subacute stage of cerebral infarction in the interhemispheric lesion, and an ischemic change in the distant convexity area. Sixteen months after onset, CT scans demonstrated an infarction area in the interhemispheric lesion only, and no atrophic changes were observed in the distant convexity area indicating that no serious tissue damage had occurred.

Early functional network alterations in asymptomatic elders at risk for Alzheimer’s disease

Amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition is known to starts decades before the onset of clinical symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), however, the detailed pathophysiological processes underlying this preclinical period are not well understood. This study aimed to investigate functional network alterations in cognitively intact elderly individuals at risk for AD, and assessed the association between these network alterations and changes in Aβ deposition, glucose metabolism, and brain structure. Forty-five cognitively normal elderly subjects, who were classified into Aβ-positive (CN+) and Aβ-negative (CN−) groups using 11C-Pittsburgh compound B PET, underwent resting state magnetoencephalography measurements, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET (FDG-PET) and structural MRI. Results demonstrated that in the CN+ group, functional connectivity (FC) within the precuneus was significantly decreased, whereas it was significantly enhanced between the precuneus and the bilateral inferior parietal lobules in the low-frequency bands (theta and delta). These changes were suggested to be associated with local cerebral Aβ deposition. Most of Aβ+ individuals in this study did not show any metabolic or anatomical changes, and there were no significant correlations between FC values and FDG-PET or MRI volumetry data. These results demonstrate that functional network alterations, which occur in association with Aβ deposition, are detectable using magnetoencephalography before metabolic and anatomical changes are seen.

Electromagnetic signatures of the preclinical and prodromal stages of Alzheimer’s disease

Biomarkers relevant to the pre-dementia stages of Alzheimer’s disease are needed. Using MEG, PET, and MRI, Nakamura et al. disentangle resting state regional spectral patterns in cognitively normal subjects and individuals with mild cognitive impairment into MEG signatures related to Aβ deposition, disease progression, or changes non-specific to Alzheimer’s disease.

Decreased Glucose Metabolism in Medial Prefrontal Areas is Associated with Nutritional Status in Patients with Prodromal and Early Alzheimer’s Disease

BACKGROUND Weight loss is frequently observed in patients with Alzheimers disease (AD); however, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. OBJECTS To clarify the associations between nutritional status and AD-related brain changes using Pittsburgh Compound-B (PiB)-PET, fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET, and structural MRI. METHODS The subjects were 34 amyloid-β (Aβ)-positive individuals with mild cognitive impairment or early AD (prodromal/early AD), and 55 Aβ-negative cognitively normal (CN) subjects who attended the Multimodal Neuroimaging for AD Diagnosis (MULNIAD) study. Nutritional status of the subjects was assessed by body mass index and waist to height ratio (waist circumference/height). The associations between nutritional status and brain changes were examined by multiple regression analysis using statistical parametric mapping. RESULTS In the prodromal/early AD group, nutritional status was significantly positively correlated with regional cerebral glucose metabolism (rCGM) in the medial prefrontal cortices, while different topographical associations were seen in the CN group, suggesting these changes were AD-specific. Aβ deposition and gray matter volume were not significantly associated with nutritional status. Sub-analysis in the prodromal/early AD group demonstrated that fat mass index, but not fat-free mass index, was positively correlated with rCGM in the medial prefrontal areas. CONCLUSION This present study provides preliminary results suggesting that hypometabolism in the medial prefrontal areas is specifically associated with AD-related weight loss, and decrease in fat mass may have a key role.

Amyloid deposition and ApoE4 carriers in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus

It is known that idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) can co-morbid with Alzheimer disease (AD). Previous studies, probing amyloid (Aβ) deposition by cortical biopsy during a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt, have shown that Aβ deposition was found in 40~45 % of iNPH patients. However, the reason for this high prevalence is not well understood. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate whether the prevalence of the Aβ deposition in iNPH is explainable by a simple overlap of the AD pathology in general population, or is modified by some specific effects of iNPH.