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Exton J, Higgins JMG, Chen J. Acute brain slice elastic modulus decreases over time. Sci Rep 2023; 13:12826. [PMID: 37550376 PMCID: PMC10406937 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40074-z] [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: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Abstract
A common benchmark in the brain tissue mechanics literature is that the properties of acute brain slices should be measured within 8 h of the experimental animal being sacrificed. The core assumption is that-since there is no substantial protein degradation during this time-there will be no change to elastic modulus. This assumption overlooks the possibility of other effects (such as osmotic swelling) that may influence the mechanical properties of the tissue. To achieve consistent and accurate analysis of brain mechanics, it is important to account for or mitigate these effects. Using atomic force microscopy (AFM), tissue hydration and volume measurements, we find that acute brain slices in oxygenated artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) with a standard osmolarity of 300 mOsm/l experience rapid swelling, softening, and increases in hydration within the first 2 hours after slicing. Reductions in elastic modulus can be partly mitigated by addition of chondroitinase ABC enzyme (CHABC). Increasing aCSF osmolarity to 400 mOsm/l does not prevent softening but may hasten equilibration of samples to a point where measurements of relative elastic modulus are consistent across experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Exton
- School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Jonathan M G Higgins
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Jinju Chen
- School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK.
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2
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Ho CY, Sankar M, Persohn S, Kralik SF, Graner B, Territo PR. Quantitative assessment of cerebrospinal fluid flow and volume in enlargement of the subarachnoid spaces of infancy using MRI. Pediatr Radiol 2023; 53:1919-1926. [PMID: 37100991 DOI: 10.1007/s00247-023-05659-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The etiology of enlarged subarachnoid spaces of infancy is unknown; however, there is radiologic similarity with normal pressure hydrocephalus. Adults with normal pressure hydrocephalus have been shown to have altered cerebrospinal (CSF) flow through the cerebral aqueduct. OBJECTIVE To explore potential similarity between enlarged subarachnoid spaces of infancy and normal pressure hydrocephalus, we compared MRI-measured CSF flow through the cerebral aqueduct in infants with enlarged subarachnoid spaces of infancy to infants with normal brain MRIs. MATERIALS AND METHODS This was an IRB approved retrospective study. Clinical brain MRI examinations including axial T2 imaging and phase contrast through the aqueduct were reviewed for infants with enlarged subarachnoid spaces of infancy and for infants with a qualitatively normal brain MRI. The brain and CSF volumes were segmented using a semi-automatic technique (Analyze 12.0) and CSF flow parameters were measured (cvi42, 5.14). All data was assessed for significant differences while controlling for age and sex using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). RESULTS Twenty-two patients with enlarged subarachnoid spaces (mean age 9.0 months, 19 males) and 15 patients with normal brain MRI (mean age 18.9 months, 8 females) were included. Volumes of the subarachnoid space (P < 0.001), lateral (P < 0.001), and third ventricles (P < 0.001) were significantly larger in infants with enlarged subarachnoid spaces of infancy. Aqueductal stroke volume significantly increased with age (P = 0.005), regardless of group. CONCLUSION CSF volumes were significantly larger in infants with enlarged subarachnoid spaces of infancy versus infants with a normal MRI; however, there was no significant difference in CSF flow parameters between the two groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang Y Ho
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
| | - Meghana Sankar
- Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Scott Persohn
- Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | | | - Brian Graner
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Paul R Territo
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
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Liu L, Bongers A, Bilston LE, Jugé L. The combined use of DTI and MR elastography for monitoring microstructural changes in the developing brain of a neurodevelopmental disorder model: Poly (I:C)-induced maternal immune-activated rats. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0280498. [PMID: 36638122 PMCID: PMC9838869 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0280498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Early neuropathology mechanisms in neurodevelopmental disorders are partially understood because routine anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) cannot detect subtle brain microstructural changes in vivo during postnatal development. Therefore, we investigated the potential value of magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in a rat model of neurodevelopmental disorder induced by maternal immune activation. We studied 12 offspring of mothers injected with polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidylic acid (poly (I:C), 4 mg/kg) on gestational day 15, plus 8 controls. T2-weighted anatomical MR images, MRE (800 Hz) and DTI (30 gradient directions, b = 765.8 s/mm2, 5 images, b = 0 s/mm2) were collected when the rats were 4 and 10 weeks old, and results were compared with histological analysis performed at week 10. Ventricles were ~1.4 fold larger from week 4 in poly (I:C) rats than in controls. No other morphological abnormalities were detected in poly(I:C) rats. At week 4, larger ventricles were correlated with lower external capsule fractional anisotropy and internal capsule radial diffusion (Pearson, r = -0.53, 95% confidence intervals (CI) [-0.79 to -0.12], and r = -0.45, 95% CI [-0.74 to -0.01], respectively). The mean and radial diffusion of the corpus callosum, the mean and axial diffusion of the internal capsule and the radial diffusion properties in the external capsule increased with age for poly (I:C) rats only (Sidak's comparison, P<0.05). Cortical stiffness did not increase with age in poly (I:C) rats, in contrast with controls (Sidak's comparison, P = 0.005). These temporal variations probably reflected abnormal myelin content, decreased cell density and microglia activation observed at week 10 after histological assessment. To conclude, MRE and DTI allow monitoring of abnormal brain microstructural changes in poly (I:C) rats from week 4 after birth. This suggests that both imaging techniques have the potential to be used as complementary imaging tools to routine anatomical imaging to assist with the early diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders and provide new insights into neuropathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy Liu
- Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Andre Bongers
- Biological Resources Imaging Laboratory, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Lynne E. Bilston
- Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Lauriane Jugé
- Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- * E-mail:
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Hwang M, Zhang Z, Katz J, Freeman C, Kilbaugh T. Brain contrast-enhanced ultrasonography and elastography in infants. Ultrasonography 2022; 41:633-649. [PMID: 35879109 PMCID: PMC9532200 DOI: 10.14366/usg.21224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Advanced ultrasound techniques, including brain contrast-enhanced ultrasonography and elastography, are increasingly being explored to better understand infant brain health. While conventional brain ultrasonography provides a convenient, noninvasive means of assessing major intracranial pathologies, its value in revealing functional and physiologic insights into the brain lags behind advanced imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging. In this regard, contrast-enhanced ultrasonography provides highly precise functional information on macrovascular and microvascular perfusion, while brain elastography offers information on brain stiffness that may be associated with relevant physiological factors of diagnostic, therapeutic, and/or prognostic utility. This review details the technical background, current understanding and utility, and future directions of these two emerging advanced ultrasound techniques for neonatal brain applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Misun Hwang
- Department of Radiology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Zeng Zhang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Joseph Katz
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Colbey Freeman
- Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Todd Kilbaugh
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Louçano M, Oliveira J, Martins I, Vaz R, Tavares I. Pain Modulation from the Locus Coeruleus in a Model of Hydrocephalus: Searching for Oxidative Stress-Induced Noradrenergic Neuroprotection. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23073970. [PMID: 35409327 PMCID: PMC8999514 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 03/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Pain transmission at the spinal cord is modulated by noradrenaline (NA)-mediated actions that arise from supraspinal areas. We studied the locus coeruleus (LC) to evaluate the expression of the cathecolamine-synthetizing enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and search for local oxidative stress and possible consequences in descending pain modulation in a model of hydrocephalus, a disease characterized by enlargement of the cerebral ventricular system usually due to the obstruction of cerebrospinal fluid flow. Four weeks after kaolin injection into the cisterna magna, immunodetection of the catecholamine-synthetizing enzymes TH and dopamine-β-hydroxylase (DBH) was performed in the LC and spinal cord. Colocalization of the oxidative stress marker 8-OHdG (8-hydroxyguanosine; 8-OHdG), with TH in the LC was performed. Formalin was injected in the hindpaw both for behavioral nociceptive evaluation and the immunodetection of Fos expression in the spinal cord. Hydrocephalic rats presented with a higher expression of TH at the LC, of TH and DBH at the spinal dorsal horn along with decreased nociceptive behavioral responses in the second (inflammatory) phase of the formalin test, and formalin-evoked Fos expression at the spinal dorsal horn. The expression of 8-OHdG was increased in the LC neurons, with higher co-localization in TH-immunoreactive neurons. Collectively, the results indicate increased noradrenergic expression at the LC during hydrocephalus. The strong oxidative stress damage at the LC neurons may lead to local neuroprotective-mediated increases in NA levels. The increased expression of catecholamine-synthetizing enzymes along with the decreased nociception-induced neuronal activation of dorsal horn neurons and behavioral pain signs may indicate that hydrocephalus is associated with alterations in descending pain modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Louçano
- Unit of Experimental Biology, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (M.L.); (I.M.)
- IBMC-Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- I3S-Institute of Investigation and Innovation in Health, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Chemical and Biomolecule Sciences, School of Health, Polytechnic of Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal;
- International Doctoral School, University of Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
| | - Joana Oliveira
- Neurosurgery Service of Centro Hospital São João, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal;
| | - Isabel Martins
- Unit of Experimental Biology, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (M.L.); (I.M.)
- IBMC-Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- I3S-Institute of Investigation and Innovation in Health, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - Rui Vaz
- Chemical and Biomolecule Sciences, School of Health, Polytechnic of Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal;
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Isaura Tavares
- Unit of Experimental Biology, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (M.L.); (I.M.)
- IBMC-Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- I3S-Institute of Investigation and Innovation in Health, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +35-12-2551-3654
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MR Elastography demonstrates reduced white matter shear stiffness in early-onset hydrocephalus. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2021; 30:102579. [PMID: 33631603 PMCID: PMC7905205 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Revised: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Hydrocephalus that develops early in life is often accompanied by developmental delays, headaches and other neurological deficits, which may be associated with changes in brain shear stiffness. However, noninvasive approaches to measuring stiffness are limited. Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE) of the brain is a relatively new noninvasive imaging method that provides quantitative measures of brain tissue stiffness. Herein, we aimed to use MRE to assess brain stiffness in hydrocephalus patients compared to healthy controls, and to assess its associations with ventricular size, as well as demographic, shunt-related and clinical outcome measures. METHODS MRE was collected at two imaging sites in 39 hydrocephalus patients and 33 healthy controls, along with demographic, shunt-related, and clinical outcome measures including headache and quality of life indices. Brain stiffness was quantified for whole brain, global white matter (WM), and lobar WM stiffness. Group differences in brain stiffness between patients and controls were compared using two-sample t-tests and multivariable linear regression to adjust for age, sex, and ventricular volume. Among patients, multivariable linear or logistic regression was used to assess which factors (age, sex, ventricular volume, age at first shunt, number of shunt revisions) were associated with brain stiffness and whether brain stiffness predicts clinical outcomes (quality of life, headache and depression). RESULTS Brain stiffness was significantly reduced in patients compared to controls, both unadjusted (p ≤ 0.002) and adjusted (p ≤ 0.03) for covariates. Among hydrocephalic patients, lower stiffness was associated with older age in temporal and parietal WM and whole brain (WB) (beta (SE): -7.6 (2.5), p = 0.004; -9.5 (2.2), p = 0.0002; -3.7 (1.8), p = 0.046), being female in global and frontal WM and WB (beta (SE): -75.6 (25.5), p = 0.01; -66.0 (32.4), p = 0.05; -73.2 (25.3), p = 0.01), larger ventricular volume in global, and occipital WM (beta (SE): -11.5 (3.4), p = 0.002; -18.9 (5.4), p = 0.0014). Lower brain stiffness also predicted worse quality of life and a higher likelihood of depression, controlling for all other factors. CONCLUSIONS Brain stiffness is reduced in hydrocephalus patients compared to healthy controls, and is associated with clinically-relevant functional outcome measures. MRE may emerge as a clinically-relevant biomarker to assess the neuropathological effects of hydrocephalus and shunting, and may be useful in evaluating the effects of therapeutic alternatives, or as a supplement, of shunting.
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Makhija EP, Espinosa-Hoyos D, Jagielska A, Van Vliet KJ. Mechanical regulation of oligodendrocyte biology. Neurosci Lett 2019; 717:134673. [PMID: 31838017 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2019.134673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2019] [Revised: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 12/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Oligodendrocytes (OL) are a subset of glial cells in the central nervous system (CNS) comprising the brain and spinal cord. The CNS environment is defined by complex biochemical and biophysical cues during development and response to injury or disease. In the last decade, significant progress has been made in understanding some of the key biophysical factors in the CNS that modulate OL biology, including their key role in myelination of neurons. Taken together, those studies offer translational implications for remyelination therapies, pharmacological research, identification of novel drug targets, and improvements in methods to generate human oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) and OLs from donor stem cells in vitro. This review summarizes current knowledge of how various physical and mechanical cues affect OL biology and its implications for disease, therapeutic approaches, and generation of human OPCs and OLs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekta P Makhija
- BioSystems & Micromechanics (BioSyM) Interdisciplinary Research Group, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research & Technology (SMART) CREATE, Singapore 138602; Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine (CAMP) Interdisciplinary Research Group, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research & Technology (SMART) CREATE, 138602, Singapore
| | - Daniela Espinosa-Hoyos
- BioSystems & Micromechanics (BioSyM) Interdisciplinary Research Group, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research & Technology (SMART) CREATE, Singapore 138602; Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
| | - Anna Jagielska
- BioSystems & Micromechanics (BioSyM) Interdisciplinary Research Group, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research & Technology (SMART) CREATE, Singapore 138602; Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA.
| | - Krystyn J Van Vliet
- BioSystems & Micromechanics (BioSyM) Interdisciplinary Research Group, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research & Technology (SMART) CREATE, Singapore 138602; Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine (CAMP) Interdisciplinary Research Group, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research & Technology (SMART) CREATE, 138602, Singapore; Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA.
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Bertalan G, Guo J, Tzschätzsch H, Klein C, Barnhill E, Sack I, Braun J. Fast tomoelastography of the mouse brain by multifrequency single‐shot MR elastography. Magn Reson Med 2018; 81:2676-2687. [DOI: 10.1002/mrm.27586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2018] [Revised: 10/04/2018] [Accepted: 10/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gergely Bertalan
- Department of Radiology Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Charité MitteBerlin Germany
| | - Jing Guo
- Department of Radiology Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Charité MitteBerlin Germany
| | - Heiko Tzschätzsch
- Department of Radiology Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Charité MitteBerlin Germany
| | - Charlotte Klein
- Department of Neurology Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Charité MitteBerlin Germany
| | - Eric Barnhill
- Department of Radiology Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Charité MitteBerlin Germany
| | - Ingolf Sack
- Department of Radiology Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Charité MitteBerlin Germany
| | - Jürgen Braun
- Institute of Medical Informatics Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin FranklinBerlin Germany
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deCampo D, Hwang M. Characterizing the Neonatal Brain With Ultrasound Elastography. Pediatr Neurol 2018; 86:19-26. [PMID: 30180999 DOI: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2018.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Prematurity is associated with significant neurological injury and impaired neurodevelopment. In neonatology, ultrasonography is frequently used to assess for neurological injury. Ultrasonography allows rapid bedside imaging without radiation. Its limitations include the need for operator experience, lack of quantification, and lower prognostic power when compared with magnetic resonance imaging. Elastography is one of several technical advances used to enhance the diagnostic capability of traditional ultrasound. By detecting differences in tissue stiffness between normal and abnormal tissue, elastography has the potential to add objective and quantitative data to ultrasound imaging. Quantitative values could then be used to help detect injury, correlate outcome to predict prognosis, and guide surgical intervention. Since developmental processes such as myelination and neuropil formation may also influence brain stiffness, elastography may also serve as a unique tool to further delineate developmental differences between preterm and term infants. In this review, we provide a general overview of elastography, its application in neonatal neuroimaging, and possible future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle deCampo
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Misun Hwang
- Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Shim JW, Madsen JR. VEGF Signaling in Neurological Disorders. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19010275. [PMID: 29342116 PMCID: PMC5796221 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19010275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2017] [Revised: 01/06/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent growth factor playing diverse roles in vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. In the brain, VEGF mediates angiogenesis, neural migration and neuroprotection. As a permeability factor, excessive VEGF disrupts intracellular barriers, increases leakage of the choroid plexus endothelia, evokes edema, and activates the inflammatory pathway. Recently, we discovered that a heparin binding epidermal growth factor like growth factor (HB-EGF)—a class of EGF receptor (EGFR) family ligands—contributes to the development of hydrocephalus with subarachnoid hemorrhage through activation of VEGF signaling. The objective of this review is to entail a recent update on causes of death due to neurological disorders involving cerebrovascular and age-related neurological conditions and to understand the mechanism by which angiogenesis-dependent pathological events can be treated with VEGF antagonisms. The Global Burden of Disease study indicates that cancer and cardiovascular disease including ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke are two leading causes of death worldwide. The literature suggests that VEGF signaling in ischemic brains highlights the importance of concentration, timing, and alternate route of modulating VEGF signaling pathway. Molecular targets distinguishing two distinct pathways of VEGF signaling may provide novel therapies for the treatment of neurological disorders and for maintaining lower mortality due to these conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joon W Shim
- Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA.
| | - Joseph R Madsen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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