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LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 5, 2021) - Collaborative research between the University of Kentucky (UK) and University of Southern California (USC) suggests that a noninvasive neuroimaging technique may index early-stage blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction associated with small vessel disease (SVD). Cerebral SVD is the most common cause of vascular cognitive impairment, with a significant proportion of cases going on to develop dementia. BBB dysfunction represents a promising early marker of SVD because the BBB regulates a number of important metabolic functions, including clearance of toxic brain substances.
Advanced BBB dysfunction can be detected with neuroimaging measures such as positron emission tomography (PET) scanning and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI. However, these methods require exposure to radiation or contrast agents and may only detect moderate to advanced stages of BBB tissue disruption. The UK-USC study used a novel, noninvasive MRI method called diffusion
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IMAGE: Implanted electrodes stream recorded data to a pocket-sized device worn by a patient. The data are then wirelessly transferred to a tablet and then uploaded to the cloud via a. view more
Credit: Image courtesy of Starr lab, UCSF
Researchers are now able to wirelessly record the directly measured brain activity of patients living with Parkinson s disease and to then use that information to adjust the stimulation delivered by an implanted device. Direct recording of deep and surface brain activity offers a unique look into the underlying causes of many brain disorders; however, technological challenges up to this point have limited direct human brain recordings to relatively short periods of time in controlled clinical settings.
NIH BRAIN Initiative-funded study opens the door to correlating deep brain activity and behavior.
Wireless recording of brain activity: Implanted electrodes stream recorded data to a pocket-sized device worn by a patient. The data are then wirelessly transferred to a tablet and then uploaded to the cloud via a HIPAA-compliant server.Starr lab
Researchers are now able to wirelessly record the directly measured brain activity of patients living with Parkinson s disease and to then use that information to adjust the stimulation delivered by an implanted device. Direct recording of deep and surface brain activity offers a unique look into the underlying causes of many brain disorders; however, technological challenges up to this point have limited direct human brain recordings to relatively short periods of time in controlled clinical settings.
Dr. Alex Martin, Ph.D.
Dr. Martin received his B.A. from the City College of New York and his Ph.D. from the City University of New York. He did his post-doctoral work at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke on the breakdown of language and memory processes in Alzheimer s disease. In 1985 he joined the faculty of the Uniform Services University of the Health Sciences where he studied cognitive dysfunction associated with HIV infection. In 1990 he moved to the NIMH where he continued his work on cognitive abnormalities in neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders and on the organization of perceptual and memory functions in the human brain. In 1997 Dr. Martin became the Chief of the Cognitive Neuropsychology Section, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition. Dr. Martin is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Association for Psychological Science, and the American Psychological Association.
W. Scott Young, III, Kay Reynolds, Emily Shepard, Harold Gainer, and Mona Castel
Laboratory of Cell Biology
1, National Institute of Mental Health and Laboratory of Neurochemistry, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health; and Department of Experimental Zoology, Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Expression of the rat OT gene in transgenic mice.
A. Immunocytochemical staining of hypothalamic sections through the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of transgenic (upper pair) and wildtype control (lower pair) mice. The rat transgene construct shown in B was used to generate this transgenic mouse. Only cells in the transgenic mouse PVN could be stained by the rat-specific oxytocin-associated neurophysin antibody (PS 67). The other oxytocin-associated neurophysin antibody (PS 38) which reacted with both rat and mouse neurophysins, stained both PVN sections.