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PubMed2006

The effects of ethanol intake and withdrawal on penicillin-induced epileptiform activity in rats.

Previous experiments have shown that ethanol may have either pro-convulsive or anti-convulsive effects on epileptic activity in different experimental epilepsy models. In this study, the effect of low dose ethanol and its withdrawal on penicillin-induced epileptiform activity in rat was investigated. Eight groups of adult, male Wistar rats were studied: (1) control, (2) penicillin pretreated (500 units), (3) alpha-tocopherol (500 mg/kg, i.m.), (4) penicillin pretreated+alpha-tocopherol, (5) ethanol-treated (3g/kg, per day, for 15 days, intragastrically)+penicillin, (6) ethanol-treated+penicillin+alpha-tocopherol, (7) ethanol withdrawal+penicillin, (8) ethanol withdrawal+penicillin+alpha-tocopherol. Each animal group was composed of seven rats. The epileptiform activity was verified by electrocorticographic (ECoG) recordings. The epileptiform activity was induced by microinjection of penicillin into the left sensorimotor cortex. Administration of ethanol (3g/kg, per day, for 15 days, intragastrically) did not change either frequency or amplitude of penicillin-induced epileptiform activity. The frequency and amplitude of epileptiform activity were evaluated 40 h after the last ethanol administration in withdrawal groups. There was no significant change in the mean frequency and amplitude of epileptiform activity compared with penicillin pretreated and ethanol-treated groups. The effective dose of alpha-tocopherol (500 mg/kg, i.m.) significantly decreased the mean frequency of epileptiform activity in the 60, 70, and 120 min after alpha-tocopherol injection in penicillin pretreated, ethanol-treated, ethanol withdrawal groups, respectively. However, alpha-tocopherol did not affect the amplitude of epileptiform activity in all groups. In conclusion, the present results indicate that low dose of ethanol does not have either anticonvulsive or proconvulsive effect on penicillin-induced epileptiform activity. alpha-Tocopherol has anti-convulsive effect on penicillin-induced epileptiform activity in effective dose.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed2006

Opposite effects of a GABA(B) antagonist in two models of epileptic seizures in developing rats.

The action of a GABA(B) antagonist CGP 35348 and a GABA(B) agonist baclofen was studied in two models of epileptic seizures characterized by EEG spike-and-wave rhythm in freely moving immature rats. Rhythmic metrazol activity (RMA, model of human absences) was induced by low systemic dose of pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) in 18- and 25-day-old rats, epileptic after discharges (ADs, model of human myoclonic seizures) were elicited by electrical stimulation of sensorimotor cortex in rat pups 12, 18, and 25 days old. CGP 35348 (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg i.p.) suppressed RMA in both age groups in a dose-dependent manner. Simultaneously it increased the incidence of clonic seizures, potentiating thus an effect of PTZ. Baclofen (1, 3 and 6 mg/kg i.p.) augmented markedly RMA in 25-day-old rats. On the contrary, baclofen suppressed RMA in a part of 18-day-old animals. Incidence of seizures was not changed by baclofen in either age group. As ADs are concerned CGP 35348 (100 and 200 mg/kg i.p.) exhibited a proconvulsant action, baclofen (3, 6 or 12 mg/kg i.p.) was anticonvulsant, but again an irregularity of action was found in 18-day-old rats. The role of GABA(B)-mediated inhibition in epileptogenesis depends on the type of seizures and also on the stage of maturation.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed2004

A compensatory mechanism in unilateral akinetic-rigid syndrome: an fMRI study.

The motor mechanisms of a patient with unilateral hand clumsiness in the early stages of akinetic-rigid syndrome were assessed by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Movements of the unaffected hand produced activation in the contralateral sensorimotor cortex (SMC) and ipsilateral SMC and superior parietal lobule (SPL). The affected hand activated the bilateral SMCs, supplementary motor areas, and SPLs. We speculated that the bilateral activation indicated recruitment of a pre-existing bilaterally organized large-scale neural network to perform the motor task.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Magnetic source imaging supports clinical decision making in glioma patients.

OBJECTIVE: This study addresses the potential utility of preoperative functional imaging with magnetoencephalography (MEG) for the selection of glioma patients who are likely to benefit from resective surgical treatment regarding postoperative morbidity. METHODS: One hundred and nineteen patients with gliomas adjacent to sensorimotor, visual and speech related brain areas were investigated preoperatively with a MAGNES II biomagnetometer. In each patient the pre-surgical evaluation was focussed on the visual, sensorimotor cortex and/or of the speech related brain areas. A grading system was then used according to the distance of the MEG activation sources to the nearest tumour border to determine the further treatment. The therapeutic options consisted in conservative treatment, stereotactic biopsy and/or a radiation and chemotherapy, substantial cytoreduction and the gross total removal of the lesion. RESULTS: From 119 investigated patients, 55 patients (46.2%) were not considered for surgery due to tumour invasion to functional cortex. Sixty four patients (53.8%) were chosen for resective surgery. In the surgical group only four patients (6.2%) suffered from neurological deterioration. CONCLUSIONS: Magnetic source imaging (MSI) proved to be a valuable help in the clinical decision making process of lesions adjacent to functional important brain areas. The relative high number of patients in whom MSI warns of the postoperative crippling sequelae may lead to a better selection of patients who benefit from resective surgery. This method may help to find the patients for whom conservative treatment seems to be more favourable concerning quality of life in the surviving time.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Brain-computer interface (BCI) operation: signal and noise during early training sessions.

OBJECTIVE: People can learn to control mu (8-12 Hz) or beta (18-25 Hz) rhythm amplitude in the electroencephalogram (EEG) recorded over sensorimotor cortex and use it to move a cursor to a target on a video screen. The recorded signal may also contain electromyogram (EMG) and other non-EEG artifacts. This study examines the presence and characteristics of EMG contamination during new users' initial brain-computer interface (BCI) training sessions, as they first attempt to acquire control over mu or beta rhythm amplitude and to use that control to move a cursor to a target. METHODS: In the standard one-dimensional format, a target appears along the right edge of the screen and 1s later the cursor appears in the middle of the left edge and moves across the screen at a fixed rate with its vertical movement controlled by a linear function of mu or beta rhythm amplitude. In the basic two-choice version, the target occupies the upper or lower half of the right edge. The user's task is to move the cursor vertically so that it hits the target when it reaches the right edge. The present data comprise the first 10 sessions of BCI training from each of 7 users. Their data were selected to illustrate the variations seen in EMG contamination across users. RESULTS: Five of the 7 users learned to change rhythm amplitude appropriately, so that the cursor hit the target. Three of these 5 showed no evidence of EMG contamination. In the other two of these 5, EMG was prominent in early sessions, and tended to be associated with errors rather than with hits. As EEG control improved over the 10 sessions, this EMG contamination disappeared. In the remaining two users, who never acquired actual EEG control, EMG was prominent in initial sessions and tended to move the cursor to the target. This EMG contamination was still detectable by Session 10. CONCLUSIONS: EMG contamination arising from cranial muscles is often present early in BCI training and gradually wanes. In those users who eventually acquire EEG control, early target-related EMG contamination may be most prominent for unsuccessful trials, and may reflect user frustration. In those users who never acquire EEG control, EMG may initially serve to move the cursor toward the target. Careful and comprehensive topographical and spectral analyses throughout user training are essential for detecting EMG contamination and differentiating between cursor control provided by EEG control and cursor control provided by EMG contamination. SIGNIFICANCE: Artifacts such as EMG are common in EEG recordings. Comprehensive spectral and topographical analyses are necessary to detect them and ensure that they do not masquerade as, or interfere with acquisition of, actual EEG-based cursor control.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Temporal activation pattern of parietal and premotor areas related to praxis movements.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the cortical physiology underlying praxis movements in normal subjects using electroencephalography (EEG). METHODS: Eight normal subjects were instructed to perform six types of self-paced tool-use pantomime and communicative gesture movements with the right hand. We recorded 64-channel EEG using a linked ear reference and electromyogram (EMG) from right thumb and forearm flexors. RESULTS: Data revealed early slow wave components of the movement-related cortical potential (MRCP) beginning over the left parietal area about 3s before movement onset, similarly for both movement types. At movement onset, maximal amplitude was present over central and bilateral sensorimotor areas. Event-related desynchronization (ERD) in the beta band was seen over the left parietal and sensorimotor cortices during preparation, later spreading to the homologous area of the right hemisphere. Alpha ERD was mainly in the left sensorimotor cortex about 1.5s before movement onset. Beta ERD in mesial frontal areas was greater during preparation for tool use compared to communicative gesture movements. Mesial frontal beta event-related synchronization (ERS) developed more rapidly after communicative gestures than tool-use. CONCLUSIONS: The dynamics of parietal and frontal activities indicates the timing of these areas in the production of praxis. The posterior parietal cortex contributes to the early slow wave negativity of the MRCP. SIGNIFICANCE: Planning self-paced praxis movements begins as early as 3s before movement in the left parietal area and subsequently engages frontal cortical regions.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Hand cortical representation at rest and during activation: gender and age effects in the two hemispheres.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the age- and gender- dependence of sensory hand cortical representation in the two hemispheres in healthy population. METHODS: In 57 adults, the cerebral activity from rolandic areas as detected by magnetoencephalography was considered both in a resting state (spectral power properties) and in response to the electrical stimulation of the contralateral median nerve (M20 and M30 cortical sources). RESULTS: We found a dependence of rest and evoked activity on age (alpha rhythm slowing, high frequency power increase, M20 latency increase, M20 strength increase, no change in M30) and on gender (higher alpha frequency, higher beta power, higher spectral entropy, lower M20 amplitude in women). These changes were quite symmetrical in the two hemispheres, making the interhemispheric differences non-dependent on age and gender. Moreover, lower total power and faster alpha rhythm appeared in the dominant hemisphere. CONCLUSIONS: Age and gender have a significant effect on spontaneous and evoked activity at the primary sensorimotor cortex. SIGNIFICANCE: The results consolidate the reference base in healthy population, to study pathological conditions. Inter-hemispheric asymmetries are confirmed as a sensitive indicator for the early identification of possible neuronal rearrangements due to unilateral brain injuries.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Dimensional complexity of neuromagnetic activity reduced during finger movement of greater difficulty.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the variation in dimensionality (D2) of neuromagnetic activity over the primary sensorimotor cortex (SM1) in healthy adults performing motor tasks of different difficulty. METHODS: Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to record neuromagnetic activity during self-paced, brisk unimanual finger extension at a rate of 1 and 2 Hz using the index finger of the dominant and non-dominant hands in 16 healthy subjects. Motor task difficulty was rated by the relative difference in time measurement between 1 and 2 Hz finger movements of both hands. The relative difference in dimensionality of SM1 activity was calculated by subtracting the D2 value in 2 Hz movement from that in 1 Hz one within subjects. RESULTS: Simple regression analyses show a significantly negative relationship between the relative dimensional complexity and the relative motor task difficulty in the contralateral SM1 for the left- (p<0.05), but not the right- (p=0.447) hand movement. CONCLUSIONS: The present data suggest that a motor task of greater difficulty may engender a reduction of simultaneously active quasi-independent neuronal generators in the contralateral SM1 underpinned by stronger neuronal connectivity of a relatively low dimensionality. SIGNIFICANCE: The decrease in dimensional complexity of MEG activity associated with a motor task of greater difficulty gives new insights to motor control strategy.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

EEG evidence for mirror neuron dysfunction in autism spectrum disorders.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are largely characterized by deficits in imitation, pragmatic language, theory of mind, and empathy. Previous research has suggested that a dysfunctional mirror neuron system may explain the pathology observed in ASD. Because EEG oscillations in the mu frequency (8-13 Hz) over sensorimotor cortex are thought to reflect mirror neuron activity, one method for testing the integrity of this system is to measure mu responsiveness to actual and observed movement. It has been established that mu power is reduced (mu suppression) in typically developing individuals both when they perform actions and when they observe others performing actions, reflecting an observation/execution system which may play a critical role in the ability to understand and imitate others' behaviors. This study investigated whether individuals with ASD show a dysfunction in this system, given their behavioral impairments in understanding and responding appropriately to others' behaviors. Mu wave suppression was measured in ten high-functioning individuals with ASD and ten age- and gender-matched control subjects while watching videos of (1) a moving hand, (2) a bouncing ball, and (3) visual noise, or (4) moving their own hand. Control subjects showed significant mu suppression to both self and observed hand movement. The ASD group showed significant mu suppression to self-performed hand movements but not to observed hand movements. These results support the hypothesis of a dysfunctional mirror neuron system in high-functioning individuals with ASD.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Cortical epileptic afterdischarges in immature rats are differently influenced by NMDA receptor antagonists.

Epileptic afterdischarges elicited by stimulation of sensorimotor cortex were chosen to test anticonvulsant effects of NMDA receptor antagonists in developing rats (12, 18 and 25 days old) with implanted electrodes. Afterdischarges were elicited four times with 10-min intervals in the experiments with dizocilpine and 20 min with the other two drugs. Dizocilpine (0.5 or 1 mg/kg), CGP 40116 (0.1, 0.5 or 1 mg/kg) or 2-amino-7-phosphonoheptanoic acid (AP7, 30 or 60 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally between the first and second stimulation. Intensity of movements accompanying stimulation was diminished regularly only by CGP 40116. Duration of afterdischarges was reduced and intensity of clonic seizures was decreased by CGP 40116 in all age groups; dizocilpine exhibited similar action in 25- and 18-day-old rats, AP7 only in 25-day-old animals. Anticonvulsant action of the three NMDA antagonists exhibited different developmental profiles in our model; this difference might be due to developmental changes of NMDA receptors.

2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate↗
PubMed2006

Temporal sequence of ictal discharges propagation in the corticolimbic basal ganglia system during amygdala kindled seizures in freely moving rats.

We used a multiple channel, single unit recording technique to investigate the neural activity in different corticolimbic and basal ganglia regions in freely moving rats before and during generalized amygdala kindled seizures. Neural activity was recorded simultaneously in the sensorimotor cortex (Ctx), hippocampus, amygdala, substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) and the subthalamic nucleus (STN). We observed massive synchronized activity among neurons of different brain regions during seizure episodes. Neurons in the kindled amygdala led other regions in synchronized firing, revealed by time lags of neurons in other regions in crosscorrelogram analysis. While there was no obvious time lag between Ctx and SNr, the STN and hippocampus did lag behind the Ctx and SNr in correlated firing. Activity in the amygdala and SNr contralateral to the kindling stimulation site lagged behind their ipsilateral counterparts. However, no time lag was found between the kindling and contralateral sides of Ctx, hippocampus and STN. Our data confirm that the amygdala is an epileptic focus that emits ictal discharges to other brain regions. The observed temporal pattern indicates that ictal discharges from the amygdala arrive first at Ctx and SNr, and then spread to the hippocampus and STN. The simultaneous activation of both sides of the Ctx suggests that the neocortex participates in kindled seizures as a unisonant entity to provoke the clonic motor seizures. Early activation of the SNr (before the STN and hippocampus) points to an important role of the SNr in amygdala kindled seizures and supports the view that different SNr manipulations may be effective ways to control seizures.

Amygdala↗
PubMed2006

The involvement of nitric oxide in the anticonvulsant effects of alpha-tocopherol on penicillin-induced epileptiform activity in rats.

A variety of animal seizure models exist which help to document the effects of alpha-tocopherol (Vitamin E) and specify its action. In the present study, we provide further evidence for the functional involvement of NO in the anticonvulsant effects of alpha-tocopherol on penicillin-induced epileptiform electrocorticographical (ECoG) activity in rats. The epileptiform ECoG activity was induced by microinjection of penicillin into the left sensorimotor cortex. Thirty minutes after penicillin injection, the most effective dose of alpha-tocopherol (500 mg/kg) was administrated intramuscularly (i.m.). Alpha-tocopherol decreased the frequency of penicillin-induced epileptiform ECoG activity without changing the amplitude. The effect of systemic administration of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) and NO substrates, L-arginine and sodium nitro prusside (SNP) on anticonvulsive effects of alpha-tocopherol was investigated. The administration of L-NAME (60 mg/kg, i.p.) did not influence the frequency of epileptiform ECoG activity while administration of L-arginine (500 mg/kg, i.p.) and SNP (6 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly decreased in the penicillin-treated group. The administration of L-NAME (60 mg/kg, i.p.) 10 min after alpha-tocopherol (500 mg/kg, i.m.) application reversed the anticonvulsant effects of alpha-tocopherol. The administration of L-arginine (500 mg/kg, i.p.) and SNP (6 mg/kg, i.p.) did not affect the frequency of epileptiform ECoG activity in alpha-tocopherol supplemented group. L-arginine and SNP did not provide an additional anticonvulsant effect in alpha-tocopherol supplemented group. These results support the involvement of the nitric oxide pathway in the anticonvulsant effect of alpha-tocopherol on the penicillin-induced epileptiform ECoG activity.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Motor response to amphetamine treatment, task-specific training, and limited motor experience in a postacute animal stroke model.

Despite advances in acute treatment of ischemic cerebrovascular events, the most common clinical outcome is disabling neurological impairment. Despite experimental evidence that psychostimulant treatment can positively affect recovery rate after focal brain lesions, beyond rehabilitation therapies there are no currently accepted medical treatments indicated for diminishing neurological impairment after clinically established stroke. To test the effect of amphetamine, task-specific training, limiting motor experience, and their interaction on motor recovery in a postacute animal model of stroke, animals were nonaversively trained in beam walking before a unilateral photochemical sensorimotor cortex lesion and tested for 10 days after lesion. Animals were randomized to groups receiving: a single session of motor training 24 h after lesion; a single injection of amphetamine 2 mg/kg 24 h after lesion; beam-walking experience limited to testing on days 1 and 10 after lesion; and groups that received amphetamine treatment combined with training or combined with limited experience. Motor recovery was maximally enhanced by training, delayed by amphetamine treatment, and most negatively affected by limiting beam-walking experience during the recovery period. These findings support physical training after stroke, indicating that limiting physical activity negatively affects motor recovery and raises questions about the role of stimulant treatment to enhance motor recovery in the postacute phase after stroke.

Amphetamine↗
PubMed2005

Quantitative assessment of forelimb motor function after cervical spinal cord injury in rats: relationship to the corticospinal tract.

Approximately 50% of human spinal cord injuries (SCI) are at the cervical level, resulting in impairments in motor function of the upper extremity. Even modest recovery of upper extremity function could have an enormous impact on quality of life for quadriplegics. Thus, there is a critical need to develop experimental models for cervical SCI and techniques to assess deficits and recovery of forelimb motor function. Here, we analyze forelimb and forepaw motor function in rats after a lateral hemisection at C5 and assessed the relationship between the functional impairments and the extent of damage to one descending motor system, the corticospinal tract (CST). Female Sprague-Dawley rats were trained on various behavioral tasks that require the forelimb, including a task that measures gripping ability by the hand (as measured by a grip strength meter, GSM), a food reaching task, and horizontal rope walking. After 8 weeks of post-injury testing, the distribution of the CST was evaluated by injecting BDA into the sensorimotor cortex either ipsi- or contralateral to the cervical lesion. Complete unilateral hemisection injuries eliminated the ability to grip and caused severe impairments in food retrieval by the forepaw ipsilateral to the lesion. There was no indication of recovery in either task. In cases in which hemisections spared white matter near the midline, there was some recovery of forelimb motor function over time. Assessment of rope climbing ability revealed permanent impairments in forelimb use and deficits in hindlimb use and trunk stability. Sensory testing using a dynamic plantar aesthesiometer revealed that there was no increase in touch sensitivity in the affected forelimb. For the cases in which both histological and behavioral data were available, spared forelimb motor function was greatest in rats in which there was sparing of the dorsal CST.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Region-specific sprouting of crossed corticofugal fibers after unilateral cortical lesions in adult mice.

Long considered to be limited to early development or restricted adult brain regions in mammals, axonal sprouting of spared axons into denervated brain areas now appears more widespread in the adult mammalian brain. However, its extent and mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we show that robust sprouting of corticofugal axons occurs in the dorsolateral striatum but not the red nucleus of adult mice after unilateral lesions of the sensorimotor cortex induced either by mechanical removal or by thermocoagulation of pial blood vessels. These results show that local factors are critical for axonal sprouting in adult brain. They also extend previous findings in rats to a species readily amenable to genetic analysis in order to elucidate the mechanisms of this effect.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Visual cortical plasticity following unilateral sensorimotor cortical lesions in the neonatal rat.

Previous work has shown that unilateral sensorimotor cortex (SMC) lesions in newborn rats resulted in an apparent shift of the motor cortex map in the spared hemisphere, particularly of the hindlimb cortex. In view of such findings, the present study was initiated to determine if the visual cortex located both ipsilateral and contralateral to neonatal SMC, or contralateral to occipital cortical (OC) lesions, would show similar remodeling. Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) were used to map the visual cortex electrophysiologically. The results show an expansion of the visual cortex, in both the contralateral and ipsilateral hemisphere, into normally motor cortical areas in adult animals that had sustained unilateral neonatal unilateral SMC lesions. In contrast, similar changes were not seen within the spared visual cortex after unilateral occipital cortical lesions, suggesting that the shift in the visual map was specifically in response to the SMC lesion and was not a generalized response to neonatal cortical damage. Histological analysis showed a functional expansion in the rostral boundary of visual cortex with no corresponding cytoarchitectural alterations.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Integration of posture and movement: contributions of Sherrington, Hess, and Bernstein.

Neural mechanisms that integrate posture with movement are widespread throughout the central nervous system (CNS), and they are recruited in patterns that are both task- and context-dependent. Scientists from several countries who were born in the 19th century provided essential groundwork for these modern-day concepts. Here, the focus is on three of this group with each selected for a somewhat different reason. Charles Sherrington (1857-1952) had innumerable contributions that were certainly needed in the subsequent study of posture and movement: inhibition as an active coordinative mechanism, the functional anatomy of spinal cord-muscle connectivity, and helping set the stage for modern work on the sensorimotor cortex and the corticospinal tract. Sadly, however, by not championing the work of his trainee and collaborator, Thomas Graham Brown (1882-1965), he delayed progress on two key motor control mechanisms: central programming and pattern generation. Walter Hess (1881-1973), a self-taught experimentalist, is now best known for his work on CNS coordination of autonomic (visceral) and emotional behavior. His contributions to posture and movement, however, were also far-reaching: the coordination of eye movements and integration of goal-directed and "framework" (anticipatory set) motor behavior. Nikolai Bernstein (1896-1966), the quintessence of an interdisciplinary, self-taught movement neuroscientist, made far-reaching contributions that were barely recognized by Western workers prior to the 1960s. Today, he is widely praised for showing that the CNS's hierarchy of control mechanisms for posture and movement is organized hand-in-hand with distributed and parallel processing, with all three subject to evolutionary pressures. He also made important observations, like those of several previous workers, on the goal focus of voluntary movements. The contributions of Sherrington, Hess, and Bernstein are enduring. They prompt thought on the philosophical axioms that appear to have driven their research, and the continual need for emphasis on interdisciplinary, comparative, and transnational approaches to advance movement neuroscience.

Affect↗
PubMed2004

Integration of functional brain information into stereotactic irradiation treatment planning using magnetoencephalography and magnetic resonance axonography.

PURPOSE: To minimize the risk of neurologic deficit after stereotactic irradiation, functional brain information was integrated into treatment planning. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Twenty-one magnetoencephalography and six magnetic resonance axonographic images were made in 20 patients to evaluate the sensorimotor cortex (n = 15 patients, including the corticospinal tract in 6), visual cortex (n = 4), and Wernicke's area (n = 2). One radiation oncologist was asked to formulate a treatment plan first without the functional images and then to modify the plan after seeing them. The pre- and postmodification values were compared for the volume of the functional area receiving > or =15 Gy and the volume of the planning target volume receiving > or =80% of the prescribed dose. RESULTS: Of the 21 plans, 15 (71%) were modified after seeing the functional images. After modification, the volume receiving > or =15 Gy was significantly reduced compared with the values before modification in those 15 sets of plans (p = 0.03). No statistically significant difference was found in the volume of the planning target volume receiving > or =80% of the prescribed dose (p = 0.99). During follow-up, radiation-induced necrosis at the corticospinal tract caused a minor motor deficit in 1 patient for whom magnetic resonance axonography was not available in the treatment planning. No radiation-induced functional deficit was observed in the other patients. CONCLUSION: Integration of magnetoencephalography and magnetic resonance axonography in treatment planning has the potential to reduce the risk of radiation-induced functional dysfunction without deterioration of the dose distribution in the target volume.

Adult↗