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Zejlon C, Sennfält S, Finnsson J, Connolly B, Petersson S, Granberg T, Ingre C. Motor band sign is specific for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and corresponds to motor symptoms. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2024; 11:1280-1289. [PMID: 38647181 DOI: 10.1002/acn3.52066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Magnetic resonance imaging can detect neurodegenerative iron accumulation in the motor cortex, called the motor band sign. This study aims to evaluate its sensitivity/specificity and correlations to symptomatology, biomarkers, and clinical outcome in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. METHODS This prospective study consecutively enrolled 114 persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and 79 mimics referred to Karolinska University Hospital, and also 31 healthy controls. All underwent 3-Tesla brain susceptibility-weighted imaging. Three raters independently assessed motor cortex susceptibility with total and regional motor band scores. Survival was evaluated at a median of 34.2 months after the imaging. RESULTS The motor band sign identified amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with a sensitivity of 59.6% and a specificity of 91.1% versus mimics and 96.8% versus controls. Higher motor band scores were more common with genetic risk factors (p = 0.032), especially with C9orf72 mutation, and were associated with higher neurofilament light levels (std. β 0.22, p = 0.019). Regional scores correlated strongly with focal symptoms (medial region vs. gross motor dysfunction, std. β -0.64, p = 0.001; intermediate region vs. fine motor dysfunction, std. β -0.51, p = 0.031; lateral region vs. bulbar symptoms std. β -0.71, p < 0.001). There were no associations with cognition, progression rate, or survival. INTERPRETATION In a real-life clinical setting, the motor band sign has high specificity but relatively low sensitivity for identifying amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Associations with genetic risk factors, neurofilament levels and somatotopic correspondence to focal motor weakness suggest that the motor band sign could be a suitable biomarker for diagnostics and clinical trials in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Zejlon
- Department of Neuroradiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Stefan Sennfält
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Neurology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Johannes Finnsson
- Department of Neuroradiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Bryan Connolly
- Department of Neuroradiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sven Petersson
- Department of Neuroradiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Medical Radiation Physics and Nuclear Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Tobias Granberg
- Department of Neuroradiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Caroline Ingre
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Neurology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
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Northall A, Doehler J, Weber M, Tellez I, Petri S, Prudlo J, Vielhaber S, Schreiber S, Kuehn E. Multimodal layer modelling reveals in vivo pathology in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Brain 2024; 147:1087-1099. [PMID: 37815224 PMCID: PMC10907094 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of motor control. Current understanding of ALS pathology is largely based on post-mortem investigations at advanced disease stages. A systematic in vivo description of the microstructural changes that characterize early stage ALS, and their subsequent development, is so far lacking. Recent advances in ultra-high field (7 T) MRI data modelling allow us to investigate cortical layers in vivo. Given the layer-specific and topographic signature of ALS pathology, we combined submillimetre structural 7 T MRI data (qT1, QSM), functional localizers of body parts (upper limb, lower limb, face) and layer modelling to systematically describe pathology in the primary motor cortex (M1), in 12 living ALS patients with reference to 12 matched controls. Longitudinal sampling was performed for a subset of patients. We calculated multimodal pathology maps for each layer (superficial layer, layer 5a, layer 5b, layer 6) of M1 to identify hot spots of demyelination, iron and calcium accumulation in different cortical fields. We show preserved mean cortical thickness and layer architecture of M1, despite significantly increased iron in layer 6 and significantly increased calcium in layer 5a and superficial layer, in patients compared to controls. The behaviourally first-affected cortical field shows significantly increased iron in L6 compared to other fields, while calcium accumulation is atopographic and significantly increased in the low myelin borders between cortical fields compared to the fields themselves. A subset of patients with longitudinal data shows that the low myelin borders are particularly disrupted and that calcium hot spots, but to a lesser extent iron hot spots, precede demyelination. Finally, we highlight that a very slow progressing patient (Patient P4) shows a distinct pathology profile compared to the other patients. Our data show that layer-specific markers of in vivo pathology can be identified in ALS patients with a single 7 T MRI measurement after first diagnosis, and that such data provide critical insights into the individual disease state. Our data highlight the non-topographic architecture of ALS disease spread and the role of calcium, rather than iron accumulation, in predicting future demyelination. We also highlight a potentially important role of low myelin borders, that are known to connect to multiple areas within the M1 architecture, in disease spread. Finally, the distinct pathology profile of a very-slow progressing patient (Patient P4) highlights a distinction between disease duration and progression. Our findings demonstrate the importance of in vivo histology imaging for the diagnosis and prognosis of neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Northall
- Institute for Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg 39120, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg 39120, Germany
| | - Juliane Doehler
- Institute for Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg 39120, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg 39120, Germany
| | - Miriam Weber
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg (OVGU), Magdeburg 39120, Germany
| | - Igor Tellez
- Institute for Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg 39120, Germany
| | - Susanne Petri
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School (MHH), Hanover 30625, Germany
| | - Johannes Prudlo
- Department of Neurology, Rostock University Medical Centre, Rostock 18147, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Rostock 18147, Germany
| | - Stefan Vielhaber
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg (OVGU), Magdeburg 39120, Germany
| | - Stefanie Schreiber
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg 39120, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg (OVGU), Magdeburg 39120, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS) Magdeburg, Magdeburg 39120, Germany
| | - Esther Kuehn
- Institute for Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg 39120, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS) Magdeburg, Magdeburg 39120, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen 72076, Germany
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research (HIH), Tübingen 72076, Germany
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Ghaderi S, Batouli SAH, Mohammadi S, Fatehi F. Iron quantification in basal ganglia using quantitative susceptibility mapping in a patient with ALS: a case report and literature review. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1229082. [PMID: 37877011 PMCID: PMC10593460 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1229082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique that can measure the magnetic susceptibility of tissues, which can reflect their iron content. QSM has been used to detect iron accumulation in cortical and subcortical brain regions. However, its application in subcortical regions such as the basal ganglia, particularly the putamen, is rare in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Case presentation and literature review We present the case of a 40-year-old male patient with ALS who underwent an MRI for QSM. We compared his QSM images with those of a control subject and performed a quantitative analysis of the magnetic susceptibility values in the putamen regions. We also reviewed the literature on previous QSM studies in ALS and summarized their methods and findings. Our QSM analysis revealed increased magnetic susceptibility values in the bilateral putamen of the ALS patient compared to controls, indicating iron overload. This finding is consistent with previous studies reporting iron dysregulation in subcortical nuclei in ALS. We also discussed the QSM processing techniques used in our study and in the literature, highlighting their advantages and limitations. Conclusion This case report demonstrates the potential of QSM as a sensitive MRI biomarker for evaluating iron levels in subcortical regions of ALS patients. QSM can provide quantitative information on iron deposition patterns in both motor and extra-motor areas of ALS patients, which may help understand the pathophysiology of ALS and monitor disease progression. Further studies with larger samples are needed to validate these results and explore the clinical implications of QSM in ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sadegh Ghaderi
- Department of Neuroscience and Addiction Studies, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Neuromuscular Research Center, Department of Neurology, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Amir Hossein Batouli
- Department of Neuroscience and Addiction Studies, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sana Mohammadi
- Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Farzad Fatehi
- Neuromuscular Research Center, Department of Neurology, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Bao Y, Chen Y, Piao S, Hu B, Yang L, Li H, Geng D, Li Y. Iron quantitative analysis of motor combined with bulbar region in M1 cortex may improve diagnosis performance in ALS. Eur Radiol 2023; 33:1132-1142. [PMID: 35951045 DOI: 10.1007/s00330-022-09045-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To explore whether the combined analysis of motor and bulbar region of M1 on susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) can be a valid biomarker for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). METHODS Thirty-two non-demented ALS patients and 35 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (HC) were retrospectively recruited. SWI and 3D-T1-MPRAGE images were obtained from all individuals using a 3.0-T MRI scan. The bilateral posterior band of M1 was manually delineated by three neuroradiologists on phase images and subdivided into the motor and bulbar regions. We compared the phase values in two groups and performed a stratification analysis (ALSFRS-R score, duration, disease progression rate, and onset). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were also constructed. RESULTS ALS group showed significantly increased phase values in M1 and the two subregions than the HC group, on the all and elderly level (p < 0.001, respectively). On all-age level comparison, negative correlations were found between phase values of M1 and clinical score and duration (p < 0.05, respectively). Similar associations were found in the motor region (p < 0.05, respectively). On both the total (p < 0.01) and elderly (p < 0.05) levels, there were positive relationships between disease progression rate and M1 phase values. In comparing ROC curves, the entire M1 showed the best diagnostic performance. CONCLUSIONS Combining motor and bulbar analyses as an integral M1 region on SWI can improve ALS diagnosis performance, especially in the elderly. The phase value could be a valuable biomarker for ALS evaluation. KEY POINTS • Integrated analysis of the motor and bulbar as an entire M1 region on SWI can improve the diagnosis performance in ALS. • Quantitative analysis of iron deposition by SWI measurement helps the clinical evaluation, especially for the elderly patients. • Phase value, when combined with the disease progression rate, could be a valuable biomarker for ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifang Bao
- Department of Radiology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, No. 12 Middle Wulumuqi Road, Jingan District, Shanghai, 200040, China.,Institute of Functional and Molecular Medical Imaging, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China
| | - Yan Chen
- Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China
| | - Sirong Piao
- Department of Radiology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, No. 12 Middle Wulumuqi Road, Jingan District, Shanghai, 200040, China.,Institute of Functional and Molecular Medical Imaging, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China
| | - Bin Hu
- Department of Radiology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, No. 12 Middle Wulumuqi Road, Jingan District, Shanghai, 200040, China.,Institute of Functional and Molecular Medical Imaging, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China
| | - Liqin Yang
- Department of Radiology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, No. 12 Middle Wulumuqi Road, Jingan District, Shanghai, 200040, China.,Institute of Functional and Molecular Medical Imaging, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China
| | - Haiqing Li
- Department of Radiology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, No. 12 Middle Wulumuqi Road, Jingan District, Shanghai, 200040, China.,Institute of Functional and Molecular Medical Imaging, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China
| | - Daoying Geng
- Department of Radiology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, No. 12 Middle Wulumuqi Road, Jingan District, Shanghai, 200040, China. .,Institute of Functional and Molecular Medical Imaging, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China.
| | - Yuxin Li
- Department of Radiology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, No. 12 Middle Wulumuqi Road, Jingan District, Shanghai, 200040, China. .,Institute of Functional and Molecular Medical Imaging, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China.
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Distribution Indices of Magnetic Susceptibility Values in the Primary Motor Cortex Enable to Classify Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12070942. [PMID: 35884748 PMCID: PMC9313208 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12070942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM) can measure iron concentration increase in the primary motor cortex (M1) of patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). However, such alteration is confined to only specific regions interested by upper motor neuron pathology; therefore, mean QSM values in the entire M1 have limited diagnostic accuracy in discriminating between ALS patients and control subjects. This study investigates the diagnostic accuracy of a broader set of M1 QSM distribution indices in classifying ALS patients and controls. Mean, standard deviation, skewness and kurtosis of M1 QSM values were used either individually or as combined predictors in support vector machines. The classification performance was compared to that obtained by the radiological assessment of T2* signal hypo-intensity of M1 in susceptibility-weighted MRI. The least informative index for the classification of ALS patients and controls was the subject’s mean QSM value in M1. The highest diagnostic performance was obtained when all the distribution indices of positive QSM values in M1 were considered, which yielded a diagnostic accuracy of 0.90, with sensitivity = 0.89 and specificity = 1. The radiological assessment of M1 yielded a diagnostic accuracy of 0.79, with sensitivity = 0.76 and specificity = 0.90. The joint evaluation of QSM distribution indices could support the clinical examination in ALS diagnosis and patient monitoring.
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Iron-sensitive MR imaging of the primary motor cortex to differentiate hereditary spastic paraplegia from other motor neuron diseases. Eur Radiol 2022; 32:8058-8064. [PMID: 35593959 DOI: 10.1007/s00330-022-08865-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is a group of genetic neurodegenerative diseases characterised by upper motor neuron (UMN) impairment of the lower limbs. The differential diagnosis with primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) can be challenging. As microglial iron accumulation was reported in the primary motor cortex (PMC) of ALS cases, here we assessed the radiological appearance of the PMC in a cohort of HSP patients using iron-sensitive MR imaging and compared the PMC findings among HSP, PLS, and ALS patients. METHODS We included 3-T MRI scans of 23 HSP patients, 7 PLS patients with lower limb onset, 8 ALS patients with lower limb and prevalent UMN onset (UMN-ALS), and 84 ALS patients with any other clinical picture. The PMC was visually rated on 3D T2*-weighted images as having normal signal intensity, mild hypointensity, or marked hypointensity, and differences in the frequency distribution of signal intensity among the diseases were investigated. RESULTS The marked hypointensity in the PMC was visible in 3/22 HSP patients (14%), 7/7 PLS patients (100%), 6/8 UMN-ALS patients (75%), and 35/84 ALS patients (42%). The frequency distribution of normal signal intensity, mild hypointensity, and marked hypointensity in HSP patients was different than that in PLS, UMN-ALS, and ALS patients (p < 0.01 in all cases). CONCLUSIONS Iron-sensitive imaging of the PMC could provide useful information in the diagnostic work - up of adult patients with a lower limb onset UMN syndrome, as the cortical hypointensity often seen in PLS and ALS cases is apparently rare in HSP patients. KEY POINTS • The T2* signal intensity of the primary motor cortex was investigated in patients with HSP, PLS with lower limb onset, and ALS with lower limb and prevalent UMN onset (UMN-ALS) using a clinical 3-T MRI sequence. • Most HSP patients had normal signal intensity in the primary motor cortex (86%); on the contrary, all the PLS and the majority of UMN-ALS patients (75%) had marked cortical hypointensity. • The T2*-weighted imaging of the primary motor cortex could provide useful information in the differential diagnosis of sporadic adult-onset UMN syndromes.
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Northall A, Mukhopadhyay B, Weber M, Petri S, Prudlo J, Vielhaber S, Schreiber S, Kuehn E. An Automated Tongue Tracker for Quantifying Bulbar Function in ALS. Front Neurol 2022; 13:838191. [PMID: 35280269 PMCID: PMC8914067 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.838191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Bulbar symptoms, including difficulty swallowing and speaking, are common in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurological disorders, such as stroke. The presence of bulbar symptoms provides important information regarding clinical outcomes, such as survival time after diagnosis. Nevertheless, there are currently no easily accessible, quantitative methods to measure bulbar function in patients. Methods We developed an open-source tool called Tongue Tracker (TT) to quantify bulbar function by training a neural network to track kinematic tongue features of short video clips of lateral tongue movements. We tested 16 healthy controls and ten patients with ALS, of whom two patients were clinically diagnosed with bulbar-onset type and eight patients were clinically diagnosed with limb-onset type. Of the limb-onset patients, five patients also showed symptoms of bulbar impairment. Results We validated TT by comparing the results with manual delineation of tongue movements in the clips. We demonstrate an early-stage bulbar-onset patient who showed fewer and slower tongue sweeps compared to healthy controls and limb-onset patients and we show that five bulbar-impaired limb-onset patients have a different tongue kinematic profile compared to healthy controls. Discussion TT may serve to detect quantitative markers of bulbar dysfunction in ALS and other motor disorders, such as stroke, by identifying signatures of spasticity or muscle weakness that affects tongue movement speed and/or tongue movement topography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Northall
- Institute for Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- *Correspondence: Alicia Northall
| | - Budhaditya Mukhopadhyay
- Institute for Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Miriam Weber
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Susanne Petri
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
| | - Johannes Prudlo
- Department of Neurology, Rostock University Medical Centre, Rostock, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Rostock, Germany
| | - Stefan Vielhaber
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Stefanie Schreiber
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Esther Kuehn
- Institute for Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
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Donatelli G, Costagli M, Cecchi P, Migaleddu G, Bianchi F, Frumento P, Siciliano G, Cosottini M. Motor cortical patterns of upper motor neuron pathology in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A 3 T MRI study with iron-sensitive sequences. NEUROIMAGE: CLINICAL 2022; 35:103138. [PMID: 36002961 PMCID: PMC9421531 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
M1 regions associated with the body site of onset are frequently affected at MRI. The simultaneous involvement of both homologous M1 regions is frequent. The T2* hypointensity in non-contiguous M1 regions seems rare.
Background Patterns of initiation and propagation of disease in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) are still partly unknown. Single or multiple foci of neurodegeneration followed by disease diffusion to contiguous or connected regions have been proposed as mechanisms underlying symptom occurrence. Here, we investigated cortical patterns of upper motor neuron (UMN) pathology in ALS using iron-sensitive MR imaging. Methods Signal intensity and magnetic susceptibility of the primary motor cortex (M1), which are associated with clinical UMN burden and neuroinflammation, were assessed in 78 ALS patients using respectively T2*-weighted images and Quantitative Susceptibility Maps. The signal intensity of the whole M1 and each of its functional regions was rated as normal or reduced, and the magnetic susceptibility of each M1 region was measured. Results The highest frequencies of T2* hypointensity were found in M1 regions associated with the body sites of symptom onset. Homologous M1 regions were both hypointense in 80–93 % of patients with cortical abnormalities, and magnetic susceptibility values measured in homologous M1 regions were strongly correlated with each other (ρ = 0.88; p < 0.0001). In some cases, the T2* hypointensity was detectable in two non-contiguous M1 regions but spared the cortex in between. Conclusions M1 regions associated with the body site of onset are frequently affected at imaging. The simultaneous involvement of both homologous M1 regions is frequent, followed by that of adjacent regions; the affection of non-contiguous regions, instead, seems rare. This type of cortical involvement suggests the interhemispheric connections as one of the preferential paths for the UMN pathology diffusion in ALS.
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Lancione M, Costagli M, Handjaras G, Tosetti M, Ricciardi E, Pietrini P, Cecchetti L. Complementing canonical fMRI with functional Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (fQSM) in modern neuroimaging research. Neuroimage 2021; 244:118574. [PMID: 34508897 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (fQSM) allows for the quantitative measurement of time-varying magnetic susceptibility across cortical and subcortical brain structures with a potentially higher spatial specificity than conventional fMRI. While the usefulness of fQSM with General Linear Model and "On/Off" paradigms has been assessed, little is known about the potential applications and limitations of this technique in more sophisticated experimental paradigms and analyses, such as those currently used in modern neuroimaging. To thoroughly characterize fQSM activations, here we used 7T MRI, tonotopic mapping, as well as univariate (i.e., GLM and population Receptive Field) and multivariate (Representational Similarity Analysis; RSA) analyses. Although fQSM detected less tone-responsive voxels than fMRI, they were more consistently localized in gray matter. Also, the majority of active gray matter voxels exhibited negative fQSM response, signaling the expected oxyhemoglobin increase, whereas positive fQSM activations were mainly in white matter. Though fMRI- and fQSM-based tonotopic maps were overall comparable, the representation of frequency tunings in tone-sensitive regions was significantly more balanced for fQSM. Lastly, RSA revealed that frequency information from the auditory cortex could be successfully retrieved by using either methods. Overall, fQSM produces complementary results to conventional fMRI, as it captures small-scale variations in the activation pattern which inform multivariate measures. Although positive fQSM responses deserve further investigation, they do not impair the interpretation of contrasts of interest. The quantitative nature of fQSM, its spatial specificity and the possibility to simultaneously acquire canonical fMRI support the use of this technique for longitudinal and multicentric studies and pre-surgical mapping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Lancione
- MoMiLab, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Piazza San Francesco, 19, Lucca 55100, Italy; IMAGO7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Mauro Costagli
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy; Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Sciences (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Giacomo Handjaras
- Social and Affective Neuroscience (SANe) Group, MoMiLab, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Lucca, Italy
| | - Michela Tosetti
- IMAGO7 Foundation, Pisa, Italy; Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Emiliano Ricciardi
- MoMiLab, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Piazza San Francesco, 19, Lucca 55100, Italy
| | - Pietro Pietrini
- MoMiLab, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Piazza San Francesco, 19, Lucca 55100, Italy
| | - Luca Cecchetti
- Social and Affective Neuroscience (SANe) Group, MoMiLab, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Lucca, Italy
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Canna A, Trojsi F, Di Nardo F, Caiazzo G, Tedeschi G, Cirillo M, Esposito F. Combining structural and metabolic markers in a quantitative MRI study of motor neuron diseases. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2021; 8:1774-1785. [PMID: 34342169 PMCID: PMC8419394 DOI: 10.1002/acn3.51418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 06/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To assess the performance of a combination of three quantitative MRI markers (iron deposition, basal neuronal metabolism, and regional atrophy) for differential diagnosis between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and primary lateral sclerosis (PLS). METHODS In total, 33 ALS, 12 PLS, and 28 healthy control (HC) subjects underwent a 3T MRI study including single- and multi-echo sequences for gray matter (GM) volumetry and quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and a pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (ASL) sequence for cerebral blood flow (CBF) measurement. Mean values of QSM, CBF, and GM volumes were extracted in the motor cortex, basal ganglia, thalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus. A generalized linear model was applied to the three measures to binary discriminate between groups. The diagnostic performances were evaluated via receiver operating characteristic analyses. RESULTS A significant discrimination was obtained: between ALS and HCs in the left and right motor cortex, where QSM increases were respectively associated with disability scores and disease duration; between PLS and ALS in the left motor cortex, where PLS patients resulted significantly more atrophic; between ALS and HC in the right motor cortex, where GM volumes were associated with upper motor neuron scores. Significant discrimination between ALS and HC was achieved in subcortical structures only combining all three parameters. INTERPRETATION While increased QSM values in the motor cortex of ALS patients is a consolidated finding, combining QSM, CBF, and GM volumetry shows higher diagnostic potential for differentiating ALS patients from HC subjects and, in the motor cortex, between ALS and PLS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonietta Canna
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical SciencesUniversity of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli”NaplesItaly
| | - Francesca Trojsi
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical SciencesUniversity of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli”NaplesItaly
| | - Federica Di Nardo
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical SciencesUniversity of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli”NaplesItaly
| | - Giuseppina Caiazzo
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical SciencesUniversity of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli”NaplesItaly
| | - Gioacchino Tedeschi
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical SciencesUniversity of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli”NaplesItaly
| | - Mario Cirillo
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical SciencesUniversity of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli”NaplesItaly
| | - Fabrizio Esposito
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical SciencesUniversity of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli”NaplesItaly
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11
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Düzel E, Costagli M, Donatelli G, Speck O, Cosottini M. Studying Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with 7-T magnetic resonance. Eur Radiol Exp 2021; 5:36. [PMID: 34435242 PMCID: PMC8387546 DOI: 10.1186/s41747-021-00221-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ultra-high-field (UHF) magnetic resonance (MR) scanners, that is, equipment operating at static magnetic field of 7 tesla (7 T) and above, enable the acquisition of data with greatly improved signal-to-noise ratio with respect to conventional MR systems (e.g., scanners operating at 1.5 T and 3 T). The change in tissue relaxation times at UHF offers the opportunity to improve tissue contrast and depict features that were previously inaccessible. These potential advantages come, however, at a cost: in the majority of UHF-MR clinical protocols, potential drawbacks may include signal inhomogeneity, geometrical distortions, artifacts introduced by patient respiration, cardiac cycle, and motion. This article reviews the 7 T MR literature reporting the recent studies on the most widespread neurodegenerative diseases: Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emrah Düzel
- Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany. .,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany. .,University College London, London, UK.
| | - Mauro Costagli
- IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy.,University of Genoa, Genova, Italy
| | - Graziella Donatelli
- Fondazione Imago 7, Pisa, Italy.,Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | - Oliver Speck
- Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Mirco Cosottini
- Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy.,University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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12
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Ravanfar P, Loi SM, Syeda WT, Van Rheenen TE, Bush AI, Desmond P, Cropley VL, Lane DJR, Opazo CM, Moffat BA, Velakoulis D, Pantelis C. Systematic Review: Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM) of Brain Iron Profile in Neurodegenerative Diseases. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:618435. [PMID: 33679303 PMCID: PMC7930077 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.618435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Iron has been increasingly implicated in the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases. In the past decade, development of the new magnetic resonance imaging technique, quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM), has enabled for the more comprehensive investigation of iron distribution in the brain. The aim of this systematic review was to provide a synthesis of the findings from existing QSM studies in neurodegenerative diseases. We identified 80 records by searching MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and PsycInfo databases. The disorders investigated in these studies included Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Wilson's disease, Huntington's disease, Friedreich's ataxia, spinocerebellar ataxia, Fabry disease, myotonic dystrophy, pantothenate-kinase-associated neurodegeneration, and mitochondrial membrane protein-associated neurodegeneration. As a general pattern, QSM revealed increased magnetic susceptibility (suggestive of increased iron content) in the brain regions associated with the pathology of each disorder, such as the amygdala and caudate nucleus in Alzheimer's disease, the substantia nigra in Parkinson's disease, motor cortex in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, basal ganglia in Huntington's disease, and cerebellar dentate nucleus in Friedreich's ataxia. Furthermore, the increased magnetic susceptibility correlated with disease duration and severity of clinical features in some disorders. Although the number of studies is still limited in most of the neurodegenerative diseases, the existing evidence suggests that QSM can be a promising tool in the investigation of neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parsa Ravanfar
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Carlton South, VIC, Australia
| | - Samantha M Loi
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Carlton South, VIC, Australia.,Neuropsychiatry, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Warda T Syeda
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Carlton South, VIC, Australia
| | - Tamsyn E Van Rheenen
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Carlton South, VIC, Australia.,Centre for Mental Health, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC, Australia
| | - Ashley I Bush
- Melbourne Dementia Research Centre, Florey Institute of Neuroscience & Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Patricia Desmond
- Melbourne Brain Centre Imaging Unit, Department of Medicine and Radiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Department of Radiology, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Vanessa L Cropley
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Carlton South, VIC, Australia.,Centre for Mental Health, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC, Australia
| | - Darius J R Lane
- Melbourne Dementia Research Centre, Florey Institute of Neuroscience & Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Carlos M Opazo
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Bradford A Moffat
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Carlton South, VIC, Australia.,Melbourne Brain Centre Imaging Unit, Department of Medicine and Radiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Dennis Velakoulis
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Carlton South, VIC, Australia.,Neuropsychiatry, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Christos Pantelis
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Carlton South, VIC, Australia.,Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
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13
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Bhattarai A, Egan GF, Talman P, Chua P, Chen Z. Magnetic Resonance Iron Imaging in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. J Magn Reson Imaging 2021; 55:1283-1300. [PMID: 33586315 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.27530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) results in progressive impairment of upper and lower motor neurons. Increasing evidence from both in vivo and ex vivo studies suggest that iron accumulation in the motor cortex is a neuropathological hallmark in ALS. An in vivo neuroimaging marker of iron dysregulation in ALS would be useful in disease diagnosis and prognosis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with its unique capability to generate a variety of soft tissue contrasts, provides opportunities to image iron distribution in the human brain with millimeter to sub-millimeter anatomical resolution. Conventionally, MRI T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and T2*-weighted images have been used to investigate iron dysregulation in the brain in vivo. Susceptibility weighted imaging has enhanced contrast for para-magnetic materials that provides superior sensitivity to iron in vivo. Recently, the development of quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) has realized the possibility of using quantitative assessments of magnetic susceptibility measures in brain tissues as a surrogate measurement of in vivo brain iron. In this review, we provide an overview of MRI techniques that have been used to investigate iron dysregulation in ALS in vivo. The potential uses, strengths, and limitations of these techniques in clinical trials, disease diagnosis, and prognosis are presented and discussed. We recommend further longitudinal studies with appropriate cohort characterization to validate the efficacy of these techniques. We conclude that quantitative iron assessment using recent advances in MRI including QSM holds great potential to be a sensitive diagnostic and prognostic marker in ALS. The use of multimodal neuroimaging markers in combination with iron imaging may also offer improved sensitivity in ALS diagnosis and prognosis that could make a major contribution to clinical care and treatment trials. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjan Bhattarai
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Gary F Egan
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Paul Talman
- Department of Neuroscience, Barwon Health, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Phyllis Chua
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Statewide Progressive Neurological Services, Calvary Health Care Bethlehem, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Zhaolin Chen
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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14
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Bhattarai A, Chen Z, Ward PGD, Talman P, Mathers S, Phan TG, Chapman C, Howe J, Lee S, Lie Y, Egan GF, Chua P. Serial assessment of iron in the motor cortex in limb-onset amyotrophic lateral sclerosis using quantitative susceptibility mapping. Quant Imaging Med Surg 2020; 10:1465-1476. [PMID: 32676365 PMCID: PMC7358415 DOI: 10.21037/qims-20-187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dysregulation of iron in the cerebral motor areas has been hypothesized to occur in individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). There is still limited knowledge regarding iron dysregulation in the progression of ALS pathology. Our objectives were to use magnetic resonance based quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) to investigate the association between iron dysregulation in the motor cortex and clinical manifestations in patients with limb-onset ALS, and to examine changes in the iron concentration in the motor cortex in these patients over a 6-month period. METHODS Iron concentration was investigated using magnetic resonance based QSM in the primary motor cortex and the pre-motor area in 13 limb-onset ALS patients (including five lumbar onset, six cervical onset and two flail arm patients), and 11 age- and sex-matched control subjects. Nine ALS patients underwent follow-up scans at 6 months. RESULTS Significantly increased QSM values were observed in the left posterior primary motor area (P=0.02, Cohen's d =0.9) and right anterior primary motor area (P=0.02, Cohen's d =0.92) in the group of limb-onset ALS patients compared to that of control subjects. Increased QSM was observed in the primary motor and pre-motor area at baseline in patients with lumbar onset ALS patients, but not cervical limb-onset ALS patients, compared to control subjects. No significant change in QSM was observed at the 6-month follow-up scans in the ALS patients. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest that iron dysregulation can be detected in the motor cortex in limb-onset ALS, which does not appreciably change over a further 6 months. Individuals with lumbar onset ALS appear to be more susceptible to motor cortex iron dysregulation compared to the individuals with cervical onset ALS. Importantly, this study highlights the potential use of QSM as a quantitative radiological indicator in early disease diagnosis in limb-onset ALS and its subtypes. Our serial scans results suggest a longer period than 6 months is needed to detect significant quantitative changes in the motor cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjan Bhattarai
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Zhaolin Chen
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Phillip G. D. Ward
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Paul Talman
- Department of Neuroscience, Barwon Health, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Susan Mathers
- Statewide Progressive Neurological Services, Calvary Health Care Bethlehem, South Caulfield, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Neurology, Monash Health, and School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Thanh G. Phan
- Department of Neurology, Monash Health, and School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Caron Chapman
- Statewide Progressive Neurological Services, Calvary Health Care Bethlehem, South Caulfield, Victoria, Australia
| | - James Howe
- Statewide Progressive Neurological Services, Calvary Health Care Bethlehem, South Caulfield, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sarah Lee
- Statewide Progressive Neurological Services, Calvary Health Care Bethlehem, South Caulfield, Victoria, Australia
| | - Yennie Lie
- Statewide Progressive Neurological Services, Calvary Health Care Bethlehem, South Caulfield, Victoria, Australia
| | - Gary F. Egan
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Phyllis Chua
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Statewide Progressive Neurological Services, Calvary Health Care Bethlehem, South Caulfield, Victoria, Australia
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