New scanning technique reveals ADHD brain differences

Good news!

"A new study significantly strengthens the case that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) brains are structurally unique, thanks to a new scanning technique known as the traveling-subject method. ...

A team of ... scientists ... has corrected the inconsistencies in brain scans of ADHD individuals, where mixed results from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies left researchers unable to say for certain whether neurodivergency could be identified in the lab. Some studies reported smaller gray matter volumes in children with ADHD compared to those without, while others showed no difference or even larger volumes. With some irony, it's been a gray area for diagnostics and research. ..."

From the abstract:

"Brain imaging studies for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have not always yielded consistent findings, potentially owing to measurement bias in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners.

This study aimed to elucidate the structural brain characteristics in children with ADHD by addressing measurement bias in multi-site MRI data using the harmonization method, traveling-subject (TS) approach.

The MRI data of 14 traveling subjects, 178 typically developing (TD) children, and 116 children with ADHD were collected from multiple sites. The TS method and ComBat were used to correct for measurement bias.

Gray matter volumes were estimated using FreeSurfer, and the ADHD and TD groups were compared using mixed-effect models. Compared to raw data, the TS method significantly reduced measurement bias while maintaining sampling bias. In contrast, ComBat effectively reduced measurement bias but also significantly decreased sampling bias. 

TS-corrected data showed decreased brain volumes in the frontotemporal regions in the ADHD group compared to the TD group. Specifically, significant volumetric reductions were found in the right middle temporal gyrus in children with ADHD (TS-corrected data: β = −0.255, FDR [family discovery rate] p = 0.001).

These results demonstrate that the TS method effectively reduces measurement bias across MRI scanners, ensuring reliable findings in multi-site studies. The observed frontotemporal volume reductions in ADHD, especially in the right middle temporal gyrus, highlight the reliability of findings obtained with TS correction."

New scanning method reveals ADHD brain differences

Novel Accurate Approach Improves Understanding of Brain Structure in Children with ADHD (original news release) "Magnetic resonance imaging often yields inconsistent results when assessing the brain’s structural characteristics in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). To address this, scientists from Japan have used a harmonization method called traveling-subject (TS) to reduce measurement bias in brain imaging datasets from multiple sites. The TS harmonized datasets showed significant reductions in measurement bias and revealed apparent volumetric changes in specific brain regions, indicating promise for developing a more robust diagnosis for ADHD."

Brain structure characteristics in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder elucidated using traveling-subject harmonization (open access)

Fig. 3: The brain regions with significant differences between the ADHD and TD groups using multiple methods of correction in the mixed-effects model.

Unique and parallel Flow of Information Identified in The Human Brain

Amazing stuff! How human brains maybe different from those of our closest relatives, i.e. apes!

"... A team led by researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland used advanced data analysis techniques on top of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans to analyze brain activity in humans, mice, and macaques.

Comparing the resulting brain 'traffic maps', the researchers found that the human brain uses multiple parallel pathways to shift information from one region to another, whereas the mice and macaque brains use just single channels. 
"What's new in our study is the use of multimodal data in a single model combining two branches of mathematics: graph theory, which describes the polysynaptic roadmaps; and information theory, which maps information transmission (or traffic) via the roads," ...

What's more, the researchers discovered that these parallel pathways are as unique as fingerprints: studying the particular way that information flows around a brain can distinguish individual nervous systems. ..."

"... To achieve this, the researchers used open-source diffusion (DWI) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from humans, macaques, and mice, which was gathered while subjects were awake and at rest. The DWI scans allowed the scientists to reconstruct the brain “road maps”, and the fMRI scans allowed them to see different brain regions light up along each “road”, which indicated that these pathways were relaying neural information. ...
“Such parallel processing in human brains has been hypothesized, but never observed before at a whole-brain level,” ..."

From the abstract:

"Brain communication, defined as information transmission through white-matter connections, is at the foundation of the brain’s computational capacities that subtend almost all aspects of behavior: from sensory perception shared across mammalian species, to complex cognitive functions in humans. How did communication strategies in macroscale brain networks adapt across evolution to accomplish increasingly complex functions? By applying a graph- and information-theory approach to assess information-related pathways in male mouse, macaque and human brains, we show a brain communication gap between selective information transmission in non-human mammals, where brain regions share information through single polysynaptic pathways, and parallel information transmission in humans, where regions share information through multiple parallel pathways. In humans, parallel transmission acts as a major connector between unimodal and transmodal systems. The layout of information-related pathways is unique to individuals across different mammalian species, pointing at the individual-level specificity of information routing architecture. Our work provides evidence that different communication patterns are tied to the evolution of mammalian brain networks."

Unique Flow of Information Identified in The Human Brain : ScienceAlert

More parallel 'traffic' observed in human brains than in animals (Source: EPFL) In a study comparing human brain communication networks with those of macaques and mice, EPFL researchers found that only the human brains transmitted information via multiple parallel pathways, yielding new insights into mammalian evolution.

Evidence for increased parallel information transmission in human brain networks compared to macaques and male mice (open access)

In the mouse and macaque brains, information was sent along a single “road”, while in humans, there were multiple parallel pathways between the same source and target.

Next-Generation fMRI Improves Spatial Resolution 10-Fold to image sub-microliter

Good news! Amazing stuff! This seems to be a very significant improvement over existing fMRI!

"Researchers have developed a series of technological improvements that dramatically increase the spatial resolution of an fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) machine. The improvements allow an fMRI to image voxels—the 3D equivalent of pixels—that are less than half a millimeter on each side. In doing so, they have passed an important threshold relative to the structure of the human brain, to roughly match the scale of functional clusters of neurons.
The NexGen 7T scanner is a ten-fold improvement in resolutionover 7T MRI machines that are currently available to researchers. ...
But with higher, sub-microliter resolution, neuroscientists should get a detailed look at the functional organization of groups of neurons in the cerebral cortex ..."

"An intense international effort to improve the resolution of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for studying the human brain has culminated in an ultra-high resolution 7 Tesla scanner that records up to 10 times more detail than current 7T scanners and over 50 times more detail than current 3T scanners, the mainstay of most hospitals. ...
This could lead to better ways of diagnosing brain disorders, perhaps by identifying new biomarkers that would allow diagnosis of mental disorders earlier or, more specifically, in order to choose the best therapy. ..."

From the abstract:

"To increase granularity in human neuroimaging science, we designed and built a next-generation 7 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging scanner to reach ultra-high resolution by implementing several advances in hardware. To improve spatial encoding and increase the image signal-to-noise ratio, we developed a head-only asymmetric gradient coil (200 mT m−1, 900 T m−1s−1) with an additional third layer of windings. We integrated a 128-channel receiver system with 64- and 96-channel receiver coil arrays to boost signal in the cerebral cortex while reducing g-factor noise to enable higher accelerations. A 16-channel transmit system reduced power deposition and improved image uniformity. The scanner routinely performs functional imaging studies at 0.35–0.45 mm isotropic spatial resolution to reveal cortical layer functional activity, achieves high angular resolution in diffusion imaging and reduces acquisition time for both functional and structural imaging."

Next-Gen fMRI Improves Spatial Resolution 10-Fold - IEEE Spectrum A suite of improvements enables the NexGen 7T to image sub-microliter neuron clusters

Innovative design achieves tenfold better resolution for functional MRI brain imaging

Next-generation MRI scanner designed for ultra-high-resolution human brain imaging at 7 Tesla (open access)

The NexGen 7T MRI (left) has a higher resolution than a conventional 7T scanner (middle) and standard 3T hospital scanner (right). 

With ultra-high resolution functional MRI, it is possible to differentiate active groups of neurons (blue arrows, which show double stripes of activity) in superficial layers as well as the deepest layers of the brain's cortex. The NexGen 7T can detect activity in the thinnest human brain cortex, which is between 1.5 and 2 millimeters thick. 

MRI imaging at 64 million higher resolution give a new look at the whole mouse brain in vivo

Amazing stuff! This level of detail is mind blowing!

"... “We can start looking at neurodegenerative diseases in an entirely different way.” ... The culmination of almost 40 years of work ... this MRI resolution was only made possible with some impressive technology. The team used a powerful 9.4-Tesla magnet (clinical MRIs generally have a 1.5-to-3-Tesla magnet), a set of gradient coils 100 times stronger than in standard scans, and a super-computer equivalent to 800 laptops, all working to capture the single mouse brain.
What’s more, after the MRI visuals were complete, the researchers had the brain tissue scanned by light sheet microscopy. This enabled the scientists to label specific groups of cells, allowing them to watch how neurodegenerative diseases progress over time. ..."

"... A single voxel of the new images – think of it as a cubic pixel – measures just 5 microns. That’s 64 million times smaller than a clinical MRI voxel. ...

One set of MRI images shows how brain-wide connectivity changes as mice age, as well as how specific regions, like the memory-involved subiculum, change more than the rest of the mouse’s brain.

Another set of images showcases a spool of rainbow-colored brain connections that highlight the remarkable deterioration of neural networks in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. ..."

From the significance and abstract:

"Significance

We demonstrate the highest-resolution MR images ever obtained of the mouse brain. The diffusion tensor images (DTI) @ 15 μm spatial resolution are 1,000 times the resolution of most preclinical rodent DTI/MRI. Superresolution track density images are 27,000 times that of typical preclinical DTI/MRI. High angular resolution yielded the most detailed MR connectivity maps ever generated. High-performance computing pipelines merged the DTI with light sheet microscopy of the same specimen, providing a comprehensive picture of cells and circuits. The methods have been used to demonstrate how strain differences result in differential changes in connectivity with age. We believe the methods will have broad applicability in the study of neurodegenerative diseases.

Abstract

We have developed workflows to align 3D magnetic resonance histology (MRH) of the mouse brain with light sheet microscopy (LSM) and 3D delineations of the same specimen. We start with MRH of the brain in the skull with gradient echo and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) at 15 μm isotropic resolution which is ~ 1,000 times higher than that of most preclinical MRI. Connectomes are generated with superresolution tract density images of ~5 μm. Brains are cleared, stained for selected proteins, and imaged by LSM at 1.8 μm/pixel. LSM data are registered into the reference MRH space with labels derived from the ABA common coordinate framework. The result is a high-dimensional integrated volume with registration (HiDiver) with alignment precision better than 50 µm. Throughput is sufficiently high that HiDiver is being used in quantitative studies of the impact of gene variants and aging on mouse brain cytoarchitecture and connectomics."

Scans that are 64 million times clearer give a new look at the brain Fifty years on from American chemist Pal Laterbur detailing the first magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), scientists have marked this historic medical anniversary with the sharpest-ever scans of a mouse brain.

Brain Images Just Got 64 Million Times Sharper MRI technology from Duke-led effort reveals the entire mouse brain in the highest resolution

Merged magnetic resonance and light sheet microscopy of the whole mouse brain (no public access) 

Ultra high resolution MRI reveals never-seen-before changes in brains of migraine sufferers

Are we finally coming closer to more effective treatments and better understanding of migraine?

"Though they are common and can have severely debilitating effects, the precise cause of migraines remains a mystery. A study ... leveraging cutting-edge imaging technology to gain a new perspective on structures in the brain, which revealed enlarged spaces around the blood vessels in people suffering the condition.
The research centers on what are known as perivascular spaces, which are gaps around the blood vessels that help clear fluids from the brain. ...
An advanced imaging technology called 7T MRI was then used to compare tiny differences in their brains. ...
Among these changes were cerebral microbleeds, along with enlarged perivascular spaces in the centrum semiovale region of the brain, in the migraine sufferers. ..."

MRI reveals never-seen-before spaces in brains of migraine sufferers

Ultra-high-res MRI Reveals Migraine Brain Changes

Brain imaging has revealed distinct features in the brains of migraine sufferers, depicted here as cerebral microbleed (left) and enlarged perivascular spaces (right)

A low-cost and shielding-free ultra-low-field brain MRI scanner

Good news! This could be a major breakthrough in diagnostic imaging!

"A compact ultralow-field (ULF) brain MRI scanner that does not require magnetic or radiofrequency shielding and is acoustically quiet during scanning has been developed at the University of Hong Kong. ...
They team estimates that the machine could be built in quantity with material costs under $20,000. ...
The researchers developed a deep-learning-driven electromagnetic interference (EMI) cancellation technique to model, predict and remove external and internal EMI signals from MRI signals. This EMI cancellation procedure eliminates the need for a traditional RF shielding cage. Meanwhile, the high temperature stability of SmCo removes the need for any magnet temperature regulation schemes to stabilize temperature-dependent fields. ..."

From the abstract:

"... There are approximately seven scanners per million inhabitants and over 90% are concentrated in high-income countries. We describe an ultra-low-field brain MRI scanner that operates using a standard AC power outlet and is low cost to build. Using a permanent 0.055 Tesla Samarium-cobalt magnet and deep learning for cancellation of electromagnetic interference, it requires neither magnetic nor radiofrequency shielding cages. The scanner is compact, mobile, and acoustically quiet during scanning. ..."

Ultralow-field MRI scanner could improve global access to neuroimaging

A low-cost and shielding-free ultra-low-field brain MRI scanner | Nature Communications (open access)

Secrets in the Brains of People Who Have Committed Murder

Amazing stuff! Are we coming finally closer to answer an age old question what distinguishes individuals who murder other humans? What is a criminal mind? Will we finally be able to offer treatments before the murder happens? Quite possible!

Kudos to the principal investigator of this comprehensive and carefully designed study, Kent Kiehl! What an enormous effort over several years!

"... the 200 men who had committed homicide showed significantly reduced gray matter in several brain regions that play important roles in behavioral control and social cognition ... As in the current study ... deployed the mobile scanner to collect MRI scans of the incarcerated teens in New Mexico and discovered differences between those who had committed homicide and their imprisoned peers. The homicide offenders “had significantly less gray matter volume in parts of their temporal lobes,” Cope says. When Kiel compared the data from that study with the results of his latest project, he found a high degree of overlap.  . . . we found and replicated every region that was different in the boys and was different in the adult males, and in the same way,” ... The latest study’s finding that MRI data can distinguish homicide offenders not only from people who committed non-violent crimes, but also from those who performed other violent crimes"

Secrets in the Brains of People Who Have Committed Murder | The Scientist Magazine®: MRI scans from more than 800 incarcerated men pinpoint distinct structural features of people who have committed homicide, compared with those who carried out other crimes.