CT and MRI Findings of Low-Flow Mediastinal Vascular Malformation: A Case Report.

Mediastinal vascular malformations are rare and their diagnosis can be challenging. Imaging is vital for diagnosing mediastinal vascular malformations and can help avoid unnecessary invasive procedures. Herein, we report the detailed CT and MRI findings of a rare low-flow mediastinal vascular malformation in an asymptomatic 63-year-old male.

Excessive Astrocytic GABA Causes Cortical Hypometabolism and Impedes Functional Recovery after Subcortical Stroke.

Glucose hypometabolism in cortical structures after functional disconnection is frequently reported in patients with white matter diseases such as subcortical stroke. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms have been poorly elucidated. Here we show, in an animal model of internal capsular infarct, that GABA-synthesizing reactive astrocytes in distant cortical areas cause glucose hypometabolism via tonic inhibition of neighboring neurons. We find that reversal of aberrant astrocytic GABA synthesis, by pharmacological inhibition and astrocyte-specific gene silencing of MAO-B, reverses the reduction in cortical glucose metabolism. Moreover, induction of aberrant astrocytic GABA synthesis by cortical injection of putrescine or adenovirus recapitulates cortical hypometabolism. Furthermore, MAO-B inhibition causes a remarkable recovery from post-stroke motor deficits when combined with a rehabilitation regimen. Collectively, our data indicate that cortical glucose hypometabolism in subcortical stroke is caused by aberrant astrocytic GABA and MAO-B inhibition and that attenuating cortical hypometabolism can be a therapeutic approach in subcortical stroke.

Immobilized DNA aptamers used as potent attractors for vascular endothelial cell: in vitro study of female rat.

Vascular endothelial cells are essential to vascular function and maintenance. Dysfunction of these cells can lead to the development of cardiovascular disease or contribute to tumorigenesis. As such, the therapeutic modulation and monitoring of vascular endothelial cells are of significant clinical interest, and several endothelial-specific ligands have been developed for drug delivery and the monitoring of endothelial function. However, the application of these ligands has been limited by their high cost and tendency to induce immune responses, highlighting a need for alternate methods of targeting vascular endothelial cells. In the present study, we explore the therapeutic potential of DNA aptamers. Using cell-SELEX technology, we identified two aptamers with specific binding affinity for vascular endothelial cells and propose that these molecules show potential for use as new ligands for drug and biomarker research concerning vascular endothelial cells.

Three-axis Modification of Coordinates Enables Accurate Stereotactic Targeting in Non-human Primate Brains of Different Sizes.

The brain grows with age in non-human primates (NHPs). Therefore, atlas-based stereotactic coordinates cannot be used directly to target subcortical structures if the size of the animal's brain differs from that used in the stereotactic atlas. Furthermore, growth is non-uniform across different cortical regions, making it difficult to simply apply a single brain-expansion ratio. We determined the skull reference lines that best reflect changes in brain size along the X, Y, and Z axes and plotted the changes in reference-line length against the changes in body weight. The skull reference lines had a linear relationship with body weight. However, comparison of skull reference lines with body weight confirmed the non-uniform skull growth during postnatal development, with skull growth more prominent in the X and Y axes than the Z axis. Comparing the differences between the atlas-based lengths and those calculated empirically from plot-based linear fits, we created craniometric indices that can be used to modify stereotactic coordinates along all axes. We verified the accuracy of the corrected stereotactic targeting by infusing dye into internal capsule in euthanized and preserved NHP brains. Our axis-specific, craniometric-index-adjusted stereotactic targeting enabled us to correct for targeting errors arising from differences in brain size. Histological verification showed that the method was accurate to within 1 mm. Craniometric index-adjusted targeting is a simple and relatively accurate method that can be used for NHP stereotactic surgery in the general laboratory, without the need for high-resolution imaging.

Transcortical photothrombotic pyramidotomy model with persistent motor deficits.

Traditional pyramidotomy models have a high mortality rate from breathing difficulties and show early recovery from the induced motor deficits. This study establishes a novel pyramidotomy technique in Sprague Dawley rats that generates persistent motor deficits and has a reduced mortality rate. We used viral neural tracing to identify the course and relative distribution of forelimb and hindlimb motor fibers (n = 9). On basis of the neural tracing data, the medullary pyramid was targeted dorsally from the cerebellar cortex for photothrombotic infarct lesioning (n = 18). The photothrombotic technique selectively destroyed the corticospinal fibers in the medullary pyramid with relative preservation of neighboring grey-matter tissue. MicroPET imaging using 2-deoxy-2-[18F]-fluoro-D-glucose (FDG-microPET) showed a decrease in regional cerebral glucose metabolism (rCGM) in the bilateral pyramid and ipsilateral sensory cortex (p < 0.001, FDR q < 0.05). In addition, the trapezoid bodies and superior olivary nuclei showed a decrease in rCGM, compatible with damage caused during the introduction of the optical fiber. Connected structures such as the inferior colliculi and auditory cortices also showed decreases in rCGM in both hemispheres (p < 0.001, FDR q < 0.05). There was a significant and persistent decrease in motor and sensory function in the contralateral limb following pyramidotomy, as demonstrated by performance in the single pellet reaching task and the foot-fault test. There was no operative mortality or loss of respiratory function in this study. These results indicate that photothrombotic pyramidotomy with a dorsal transcortical approach is a safe and reliable technique for generating a pyramidotomy model with persistent motor deficits.

Capsular stroke modeling based on somatotopic mapping of motor fibers.

Recently, several capsular stroke models have been reported with different targets of destruction. This study was performed to establish an accurate internal capsule (IC) target for capsular stroke modeling in rats. We injected adeno-associated virus serotype 5 (AAV)-CaMKII-EYFP into forelimb motor cortex and AAV-CaMKII-mCherry into hindlimb motor cortex (n = 9) to anterogradely trace the pyramidal fibers and map their somatotopic distribution in the IC. On the basis of the neural tracing results, we created photothrombotic infarct lesions in rat forelimb and hindlimb motor fiber (FMF and HMF) areas of the IC (n = 29) and assessed motor behavior using a forelimb-use asymmetry test, a foot-fault test, and a single-pellet reaching test. We found that the FMFs and HMFs were primarily distributed in the inferior portion of the posterior limb of the IC, with the FMFs located largely ventral to the HMFs but with an area of partial overlap. Photothrombotic lesions in the FMF area resulted in persistent motor deficits. In contrast, lesions in the HMF area did not result in persistent motor deficits. These results indicate that identification of the somatotopic distribution of pyramidal fibers is critical for accurate targeting in animal capsular stroke models: only infarcts in the FMF area resulted in long-lasting motor deficits.

Circumscribed Capsular Infarct Modeling Using a Photothrombotic Technique.

Recent increase in the prevalence rate of white matter stroke demands specific research in the field. However, the lack of a pertinent animal model for white matter stroke has hampered research investigations. Here, we describe a novel method for creating a circumscribed capsular infarct that minimizes damage to neighboring gray matter structures. We used pre-surgery neural tracing with adeno-associated virus-green fluorescent protein (AAV-GFP) to identify somatotopic organization of the forelimb area within the internal capsule. The adjustment of light intensity based on different optical properties of gray and white matter contributes to selective destruction of white matter with relative preservation of gray matter. Accurate positioning of optical-neural interface enables destruction of entire forelimb area in the internal capsule, which leads to a marked and persistent motor deficit. Thus, this technique produces highly replicable capsular infarct lesions with a persistent motor deficit. The model will be helpful not only to study white matter stroke (WMS) at the behavioral, circuit, and cellular levels, but also to assess its usefulness for development of new therapeutic and rehabilitative interventions.

Remodeling of Neuronal Circuits After Reach Training in Chronic Capsular Stroke.

BACKGROUND: Subcortical capsular stroke has a poor prognosis, and it is not yet fully understood how and under what circumstances reach training contributes to motor recovery. Objective This study was performed to investigate changes in neuronal circuits and motor recovery in a chronic capsular stroke model in the presence or absence of reach training. METHOD: We generated photothrombotic capsular lesions in 42 Sprague-Dawley rats and evaluated motor recovery with or without daily training in a single-pellet reaching task (SPRT). We used 2-deoxy-2-[18F]-fluoro-D-glucose-microPET (positron emission tomography) to assess remodeling of neuronal circuits. RESULTS: SPRT training was selectively beneficial only for the group with incomplete capsular destruction (P < .05), suggesting the relevance of plasticity in the remaining capsular fibers for motor recovery. Groups that did not receive SPRT training showed no motor recovery at all. The microPET analysis demonstrated that motor recovery was correlated with a reduction in cortical diaschisis in ipsilesional motor and sensory cortices and in the contralesional sensory cortex (Pearson's correlation, P < .05). We also observed training-dependent subcortical activation in the contralesional red nucleus, the internal capsule, and the ventral hippocampus (P < .0025; false discovery rate q < 0.05). The groups without reach training did not show the same degree of reduction in diaschisis or activation of the red nucleus. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that motor recovery and remodeling of neuronal circuits after capsular stroke depend on the magnitude of the capsular lesion and on the presence or absence of reach training. Task-specific training is strongly indicated only when there is incomplete destruction of the capsular fibers.