| 1. |
- Davidsson, Anette, et al.
(författare)
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Comparison between visual assessment of dopaminergic degeneration pattern and semi-quantitative ratio calculations in patients with Parkinson's disease and Atypical Parkinsonian snydromes using DaTSCAN SPECT
- 2014
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a degenerative disorder characterized by the progressive degeneration of dopamine-containing cells in substantia nigra, and it is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder worldwide. It can be difficult to differentiate between idiopathic PD and Atypical Parkinsonian syndromes (APS). In a high percentage of APS patients, the right diagnosis is not established even during late stages of the disease. Currently there is no specific test to verify PD, especially in the early stages of the disease.The aim was to verify if 123I-FP-CIT, DaTSCAN ® can differentiate early stages of Parkinson's disease as well as patients with Atypical Parkinsonian syndromes from manifest Parkinson's disease.Materials and methods: 121 consecutive patients were investigated with 123I-FP-CIT SPECT, during a four year period. All patients were diagnosed according to the established consensus criteria for diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD), (n=53), Atypical Parkinsonian syndromes (APS) (n=18). Remaining patients were grouped early PD (before onset the of L-dopa medication), (n=20), and non-PD syndromes (n=30). SPECT images were analysed visually according to a predefined ranking scale of dopaminergic degeneration, distinguishing a posterior-anterior degeneration pattern (egg shape) to a more global and severe degeneration pattern (burst striatum). Striatum ratios were quantitatively analysed with the 3D software, EXINI.Results: In the group of APS patients the burst striatum pattern was most frequent and found in 61% (11/18 patients). In PD patients the egg shape pattern was dominating, especially in early PD where it was present in 95% (19/20 patients). The sensitivity of burst striatum degeneration pattern was 61% (95%-CI 36-83%), specificity 90% (95%-CI 81-96%). The sensitivity of egg shape pattern was 74% (95%-CI 62-84%), specificity 90% (95%-CI 47-90%). The uptake ratios were reduced in both PD and APS patients and closely related to the image pattern. The lowest putamen/caudate ratio was found in early PD.Conclusion: In this study we found that in more than half of the patients it was possible to differentiate between PD and APS by visual interpretation only. Similar results were obtained using semi-quantitative uptake ratios, but combining visual assessment with uptake ratios did not add to the discriminating power of DATSCAN ® SPECT in this materialReferences: Kahraman D, Eggers C, Schicha H, Timmermann L, Schmidt M. Visual assessment of dopaminergic degeneration pattern in 123I-FP-CIT SPECT differentiates patients with atypical parkinsonian syndromes and idiopathic Parkinson's disease. J Neurol. 2012;259:251-60
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| 2. |
- Davidsson, Anette, et al.
(författare)
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Comparison between visual assessment of dopaminergic degeneration pattern and semi-quantitative ratio calculations in patients with Parkinsons disease and Atypical Parkinsonian syndromes using DaTSCAN (R) SPECT
- 2014
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Ingår i: Annals of Nuclear Medicine. - : Springer Verlag (Germany). - 0914-7187 .- 1864-6433. ; 28:9, s. 851-859
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective To verify if I-123-FP-CIT, DaTSCAN (R) can differentiate early stages of Parkinsons disease (PD) as well as patients with Atypical Parkinsonian syndromes (APS) from manifest Parkinsons disease. Methods 128 consecutive patients were investigated with I-123-FP-CIT SPECT during a 4-year period. All patients were diagnosed according to the established consensus criteria for diagnosis of PD (n = 53) and APS (n = 19). Remaining patients were grouped early PD (before onset of L-DOPA medication), (n = 20), vascular PD (n = 6), and non-PD syndromes (n = 30) and SWEDD (n = 1). SPECT images were analyzed visually according to a predefined ranking scale of dopaminergic nerve cell degeneration, distinguishing a posterior-anterior degeneration pattern (egg shape) from a more global and severe degeneration pattern (burst striatum). Striatum uptake ratios were quantitatively analyzed with the 3D software, EXINI. Results In the group of APS patients, the burst striatum pattern was most frequent and found in 61 % (11/18 patients). In PD patients, the egg shape pattern was dominating, especially in early PD where it was present in 95 % (19/20 patients). The positive predictive value for the egg shape pattern to diagnose PD was 92 % in this material (APS and all PD patients) and the specificity 90 % for the burst striatum pattern to exclude APS. The uptake ratios were reduced in both PD and APS patients and closely related to the image ranking. Conclusion In this study, we found that in more than half of the patients it was possible to differentiate between PD and APS by visual interpretation only. Similar results were obtained using semi-quantitative uptake ratios. Combining visual assessment with uptake ratios did not add to the discriminating power of DaTSCAN (R) SPECT in this material.
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| 3. |
- Eek, Tom, et al.
(författare)
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Neural suppression in odor recognition memory
- 2023
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Ingår i: Chemical Senses. - : Oxford University Press. - 0379-864X .- 1464-3553. ; 48
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Little is known about the neural basis of lower- and higher-order olfactory functions such as odor memory, compared with other sensory systems. The aim of this study was to explore neural networks and correlates associated with 3 functions: passive smelling (PS), odor encoding (OE), and in particular odor recognition memory (ORM). Twenty-six healthy participants were examined using functional magnetic resonance imaging conducted across 3 sessions, one for each function. Independent component analysis revealed a difference between sessions where a distinct ORM component incorporating hippocampus and posterior cingulate showed delayed triggering dissociated from odor stimulation and recognition. By contrasting Hit for ORM (target odors correctly recognized as old) and a combination of PS and detected odors from OE, we found significantly lower activations in amygdala, piriform cortex, insula, thalamus, and the inferior parietal lobule. Region of interest analysis including anterior insula, posterior cingulate gyrus, dentate gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, amygdala, and piriform cortex demonstrated that Hit were associated with lower activations compared with other memory responses. In summary, our findings suggest that successful recognition of familiar odors (odor familiarity) is associated with neural suppression in the abovementioned regions of interest. Additionally, network including the hippocampus and posterior cingulate is engaged in a postrecognition process. This process may be related to incidental encoding of less familiar and more novel odors (odor novelty) and should be subject for future research.
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| 4. |
- Georgiopoulos, Charalampos, et al.
(författare)
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A study of neural activity and functional connectivity within the olfactory brain network in Parkinson's disease
- 2019
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Ingår i: NeuroImage. - : Elsevier. - 2213-1582. ; 23
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Olfactory dysfunction is an early manifestation of Parkinson's disease (PD). The present study aimed to illustrate potential differences between PD patients and healthy controls in terms of neural activity and functional connectivity within the olfactory brain network. Twenty PD patients and twenty healthy controls were examined with olfactory fMRI and resting-state fMRI. Data analysis of olfactory fMRI included data-driven tensorial independent component (ICA) and task-driven general linear model (GLM) analyses. Data analysis of resting-state fMRI included probabilistic ICA based on temporal concatenation and functional connectivity analysis within the olfactory network. ICA of olfactory fMRI identified an olfactory network consisting of the posterior piriform cortex, insula, right orbitofrontal cortex and thalamus. Recruitment of this network was less significant for PD patients. GLM analysis revealed significantly lower activity in the insula bilaterally and the right orbitofrontal cortex in PD compared to healthy controls but no significant differences in the olfactory cortex itself. Analysis of resting-state fMRI did not reveal any differences in the functional connectivity within the olfactory, default mode, salience or central executive networks between the two groups. In conclusion, olfactory dysfunction in PD is associated with less significant recruitment of the olfactory brain network. ICA could demonstrate differences in both the olfactory cortex and its main projections, compared to GLM that revealed differences only on the latter. Resting-state fMRI did not reveal any significant differences in functional connectivity within the olfactory, default mode, salience and central executive networks in this cohort.
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| 5. |
- Georgiopoulos, Charalampos, et al.
(författare)
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DaTSCAN SPECT EVALUATION OF PATIENTS WITH MOVEMENT DISORDERS
- 2011
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Ingår i: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY. - : Wiley-Blackwell. ; , s. 567-567
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Introduction: Molecular imaging with DaTSCAN SPECTis widely used as a diagnostic tool in patients with movementdisorders in the form of Parkinson's Disease (PD),Parkinson-plus syndromes and Tremor. In the present studythe potency of DATScan SPECT to detect degeneration inthe basal ganglia in early stages of PD, before the onset ofmedication, is evaluated. In addition the efficacy ofDaTSCAN for differential diagnosis between patients withidiopathic PD and patients with Parkinson-plus syndromesis examined.Methodology: Participants: 21 patients with PD in earlystages, before the onset of medication, 20 patients withidiopathic PD and 6 patients with Parkinson-plussyndromes. 15 participants with normal results ofDaTSCAN SPECT and a clinical diagnosis different fromPD or Parkinson-plus were used as control.DaTSCAN SPECT: In the present study the quantificationof Striatum Occipital/Occipital and the Xeleris workstation(GE) were used.Results: The quantification for patients with idiopathic PD(1.185±0.05687) was significantly lower (p<0.0001) fromthe control (2.369±0.1258) and significantly lower (p<0.05)from that of patients in early stages of PD, before the onsetof medication (1.359±0.05324). There was no significantdifference between the idiopathic PD and Parkinson-plussyndromes (1.103±0.2442).Conclusion: DaTSCAN SPECT can detect efficiently earlydegeneration in the basal ganglia before the onset ofmedication is needed. Its efficacy for the differentialdiagnosis between idiopathic PD and Parkinson-plussyndromes is questioned. The combination of imaging andclinical examination is mandatory for a certain diagnosis.
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| 6. |
- Georgiopoulos, Charalampos, et al.
(författare)
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Differential connectivity of the posterior piriform cortex in Parkinson’s disease and postviral olfactory dysfunction : an fMRI study
- 2024
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : NATURE PORTFOLIO. - 2045-2322. ; 14:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Olfactory dysfunction is a common feature of both postviral upper respiratory tract infections (PV) and idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD). Our aim was to investigate potential differences in the connectivity of the posterior piriform cortex, a major component of the olfactory cortex, between PV and PD patients. Fifteen healthy controls (median age 66 years, 9 men), 15 PV (median age 63 years, 7 men) and 14 PD patients (median age 70 years, 9 men) were examined with task-based olfactory fMRI, including two odors: peach and fish. fMRI data were analyzed with the co-activation pattern (CAP) toolbox, which allows a dynamic temporal assessment of posterior piriform cortex (PPC) connectivity. CAP analysis revealed 2 distinct brain networks interacting with the PPC. The first network included regions related to emotion recognition and attention, such as the anterior cingulate and the middle frontal gyri. The occurrences of this network were significantly fewer in PD patients compared to healthy controls (p = 0.023), with no significant differences among PV patients and the other groups. The second network revealed a dissociation between the olfactory cortex (piriform and entorhinal cortices), the anterior cingulate gyrus and the middle frontal gyri. This second network was significantly more active during the latter part of the stimulation, across all groups, possibly due to habituation. Our study shows how the PPC interacts with areas that regulate higher order processing and how this network is substantially affected in PD. Our findings also suggest that olfactory habituation is independent of disease.
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| 7. |
- Georgiopoulos, Charalampos, 1984-
(författare)
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Imaging Studies of Olfaction in Health and Parkinsonism
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Olfactory loss is a common non-motor symptom of Parkinson’s disease (PD), often preceding the cardinal motor symptoms of the disease. The aim of this thesis was to: (a) evaluate whether olfactory examination can increase diagnostic accuracy, and (b) study the structural and functional neural basis of olfactory dysfunction in PD with different applications of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).Paper I was a comparison of the diagnostic accuracy between a simple smell identification test and DaTSCAN Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography (SPECT), a nuclear medicine tomographic imaging technique that is commonly used in patients with suspected parkinsonism. The results indicate that smell test is inferior to DaTSCAN SPECT, but the combination of these two methods can lead to improved diagnostic accuracy.Paper II showed that diffusion MRI could detect discrete microstructural changes in the white matter of brain areas that participate in higher order olfactory neurotransmission, whereas MRI with Magnetization Transfer contrast could not.Paper III was a methodological study on how two different acquisition parameters can affect the activation pattern of olfactory brain areas, as observed with functional MRI (fMRI). The results indicate that brief olfactory stimulation and fast sampling rate should be preferred on olfactory fMRI studies.Paper IV used olfactory fMRI and resting-state fMRI in order to elucidate potentially altered activation patterns and functional connectivity within olfactory brain areas, between PD patients and healthy controls. Olfactory fMRI showed that olfactory impairment in PD is associated with significantly lower recruitment of the olfactory network. Resting-state fMRI did not detect any significant changes in the functional connectivity within the olfactory network of PD patients.In conclusion, the included studies provide evidence of: (a) disease-related structural and functional changes in olfactory brain areas, and (b) beneficial addition of olfactory tests in the clinical work-up of patients with parkinsonism.
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| 8. |
- Georgiopoulos, Charalampos, et al.
(författare)
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Noninvasive assessment of glymphatic dysfunction in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus with diffusion tensor imaging
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal of Neurosurgery. - 0022-3085. ; 140:3, s. 612-620
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) along the perivascular space (ALPS) (DTI-ALPS)-by calculating the ALPS index, a ratio accentuating water diffusion in the perivascular space-has been proposed as a noninvasive, indirect MRI method for assessing glymphatic function. The main aim of this study was to investigate whether DTI-ALPS would reveal glymphatic dysfunction in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) and whether the ALPS index was associated with disease severity. METHODS: Thirty iNPH patients (13 men; median age 77 years) and 27 healthy controls (10 men; median age 73 years) underwent MRI and clinical assessment with the Timed Up and Go test (TUG) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE); only the patients were evaluated with the Hellström iNPH scale. MRI data were analyzed with the DTI-ALPS method and Radscale screening tool. RESULTS: iNPH patients showed significantly lower mean ALPS index scores compared with healthy controls (median [interquartile range] 1.09 [1.00-1.15] vs 1.49 [1.36-1.59], p < 0.001). Female healthy controls showed significantly higher ALPS index scores than males in both hemispheres (e.g., right hemisphere 1.62 [1.47-1.67] vs 1.33 [1.14-1.41], p = 0.001). This sex difference was not seen in iNPH patients. The authors found a moderate exponential correlation between mean ALPS index score and motor function as measured with time required to complete TUG (r = -0.644, p < 0.001), number of steps to complete TUG (r = -0.571, p < 0.001), 10-m walk time (r = -0.637, p < 0.001), and 10-m walk steps (r = -0.588, p < 0.001). The authors also found a positive linear correlation between mean ALPS index score and MMSE score (r = 0.416, p = 0.001). Simple linear regression showed a significant effect of diagnosis (B = -0.39, p < 0.001, R2 = 0.459), female sex (B = 0.232, p = 0.002, R2 = 0.157), and Evans index (B = -4.151, p < 0.001, R2 = 0.559) on ALPS index. Multiple linear regression, including diagnosis, sex, and Evans index score, showed a higher predictive value (R2 = 0.626) than analysis of each of these factors alone. CONCLUSIONS: The ALPS index, which was significantly decreased in iNPH patients, could serve as a marker of disease severity, both clinically and in terms of neuroimaging. However, it is important to consider the significant influence of biological sex and ventriculomegaly on the ALPS index, which raises the question of whether the ALPS index solely reflects glymphatic function or if it also encompasses other types of injury. Future studies are needed to address potential confounding factors and further validate the ALPS method.
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| 9. |
- Georgiopoulos, Charalampos, et al.
(författare)
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Olfactory fMRI: Implications of Stimulation Length and Repetition Time
- 2018
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Ingår i: Chemical Senses. - : OXFORD UNIV PRESS. - 0379-864X .- 1464-3553. ; 43:6, s. 389-398
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Studying olfaction with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) poses various methodological challenges. This study aimed to investigate the effects of stimulation length and repetition time (TR) on the activation pattern of 4 olfactory brain regions: the anterior and the posterior piriform cortex, the orbitofrontal cortex, and the insula. Twenty-two healthy participants with normal olfaction were examined with fMRI, with 2 stimulation lengths (6 s and 15 s) and 2 TRs (0.901 s and 1.34 s). Data were analyzed using General Linear Model (GLM), Tensorial Independent Component Analysis (TICA), and by plotting the event-related time course of brain activation in the 4 olfactory regions of interest. The statistical analysis of the time courses revealed that short TR was associated with more pronounced signal increase and short stimulation was associated with shorter time to peak signal. Additionally, both long stimulation and short TR were associated with oscillatory time courses, whereas both short stimulation and short TR resulted in more typical time courses. GLM analysis showed that the combination of short stimulation and short TR could result in visually larger activation within these olfactory areas. TICA validated that the tested paradigm was spatially and temporally associated with a functionally connected network that included all 4 olfactory regions. In conclusion, the combination of short stimulation and short TR is associated with higher signal increase and shorter time to peak, making it more amenable to standard GLM-type analyses than long stimulation and long TR, and it should, thus, be preferable for olfactory fMRI.
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| 10. |
- Georgiopoulos, Charalampos, et al.
(författare)
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Olfactory Impairment in Parkinson's Disease Studied with Diffusion Tensor and Magnetization Transfer Imaging.
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Parkinson's Disease. - : IOS PRESS. - 1877-7171 .- 1877-718X. ; 7:2, s. 301-311
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Olfactory impairment is an early manifestation of Parkinson's disease (PD). Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) and Magnetization Transfer (MT) are two imaging techniques that allow noninvasive detection of microstructural changes in the cerebral white matter.OBJECTIVE: To assess white matter alterations associated with olfactory impairment in PD, using a binary imaging approach with DTI and MT.METHODS: 22 PD patients and 13 healthy controls were examined with DTI, MT and an odor discrimination test. DTI data were first analyzed with tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) in order to detect differences in fractional anisotropy, mean, radial and axial diffusivity between PD patients and controls. Voxelwise randomized permutation was employed for the MT analysis, after spatial and intensity normalization. Additionally, ROI analysis was performed on both the DTI and MT data, focused on the white matter adjacent to olfactory brain regions.RESULTS: Whole brain voxelwise analysis revealed decreased axial diffusivity in the left uncinate fasciculus and the white matter adjacent to the left olfactory sulcus of PD patients. ROI analysis demonstrated decreased axial diffusivity in the right orbitofrontal cortex, as well as decreased mean diffusivity and axial diffusivity in the white matter of the left entorhinal cortex of PD patients. There were no significant differences regarding fractional anisotropy, radial diffusivity or MT between patients and controls.CONCLUSIONS: ROI analysis of DTI could detect microstructural changes in the white matter adjacent to olfactory areas in PD patients, whereas MT imaging could not.
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