Biomedical subjects

V Calistri

Publications and source records attributed to V Calistri.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Diffusion tensor imaging in primary cervical dystonia.

BACKGROUND: It is the traditional view that primary dystonia arises from abnormal basal ganglia function but causes no apparent morphological changes. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether cervical dystonia leads to ultrastructural changes in the brain, using diffusion tensor imaging to compare brain structure in 15 patients with cervical dystonia with 10 healthy controls. DESIGN: Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) were obtained in 17 brain regions of interest. RESULTS: Patients had higher FA values than controls in both putamina and lower FA values in the genu and in the body of the corpus callosum. Patients also had lower MD values in the left pallidum, the left putamen, and both caudati. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with cervical dystonia, diffusion tensor imaging shows ultrastructural changes in specific brain areas, including the basal ganglia.

Anisotropy↗

PubMed2003

BOLD signal sign and transient vessels volume variation.

The purpose of this work was to investigate the relation between BOLD signal sign and transient vessels volume variation induced by apnea. This stimulus consisting of breath holding after inspiration is able to induce a light slowing down in venous blood flow like in a sort of Valsalva maneuver. We observed diffuse negative BOLD responding areas at cortical level and a stronger negative response in correspondence of the main sinuses. These phenomena seem to be unrelated to a specific neural activity, appearing to be expressions of a mechanical variation in the hemodynamics. Our study suggests that particular care must be considered in the interpretation of fMRI findings, especially when patients with vascular-related cerebral diseases are involved.

Adult↗