Peace on the home front, or the reversal of trouble in paradise, may be just an fMRI scan away, as activity in the lateral prefrontal cortex can predict if couples will bounce back better from domestic squabbles.

The link between brain activity and the regulation of emotion in the laboratory is documented, and now brain activity and daily chains of events appear to have … read more »

Multidetector CT has resulted in improved image quality and ability to obtain thinner images and high-quality reformatted images. Yet despite the advances, every radiology department must grapple with which thickness images should be interpreted, and weigh factors such as sensitivity and specificity, interpretation time, and storage costs. … read more »

The first national evidence-based, multidisciplinary guidelines for treating brain metastases are now available from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS). The guidelines came out in late 2009 as an important new tool for treating people with brain tumors. Brain metastases, or tumors which spread to the brain from other parts of the … read more »

Using diffused tensor imaging (DTI) along with MRI seems to be better at predicting early memory loss than using MRI alone, say Italian researchers. Their study is published online in the January 6 issue of Neurology.

According to the researchers, most current markers are able to confirm Alzheimer’s disease only when the brain changes are well developed. DTI is sensitive at … read more »

MRI shows patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease may have altered function along the dorsal visual pathway, says a new study published in the January issue of Radiology.

In the study from Ireland, researchers looked at data from 12 patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease and 14 healthy people of the same age. During functional MRI, participants had to decide whether two … read more »

Many recent studies have investigated the use of DWI and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps in distinguishing various disease states in the head and neck. … read more »

Follow-up MRI on pineal cysts may not be worth it, says a small study recently published in the American Journal of Roentgenology. Because the usually-benign cysts can sometimes mimic other kinds of tumors, regular follow-ups with MRI have been traditionally recommended. To see how such tests performed, researchers in Massachusetts and Vermont looked at incidental pineal cysts found in 26 … read more »

On Monday federal health officials gave recommendations to help lessen radiation risks during CT brain perfusion scans, often done on stroke patients. The interim guidelines come as part of an ongoing investigation that began in October, when the FDA discovered more than 200 cases of overexposure—up to eight times the normal amount of radiation—at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. … read more »

A number of methods are available to ensure that the highest amount of brain tissue is saved in patients with acute ischemic strokes. The first method is venous tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) administration, which can be done only within three hours of onset. … read more »

Since the advent of DWI, we have come to understand that transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) are often associated with restricted diffusion. Although the clinical event is transient, cerebral infarctions do occur. Ideally, we would like to maximize the sensitivity of DWI in detecting these small recent infarcts. … read more »