The primary aim of this pilot investigation was to identify structural brain differences in older adults with chronic low back pain (CLBP) as compared with pain-free individuals. Cross-sectional, case-control. Sixteen cognitively intact older adults, eight with CLBP and eight pain-free; excluded if with psychiatric or neurological disorders, substance abuse, opioid use, diabetes mellitus, and/or hypertension. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and tests of neuropsychological performance (digit span, digit symbol substitution, letter-number sequencing, trail making) were administered to all participants. Gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), cerebrospinal fluid, and corpus callosum (CC) volumes were measured as a percentage of total supratentorial intracranial volume. Voxel-based morphometry analysis of GM and WM assessed regional differences. Between-groups analysis revealed a non-significant trend toward decreased middle CC volume in the CLBP group (1.43E-03 +/- 2.67E-04, 1.63E-03 +/- 2.00E-04: P = 0.09). Regional analysis in the CLBP group demonstrated significantly decreased GM volume (P < 0.001) in the posterior parietal cortex and middle cingulate WM volume (P < 0.001) of the left hemisphere. CLBP participants performed significantly worse on digit span forward (P = 0.03). Older adults with CLBP have structural brain changes in the middle CC, middle cingulate WM, and the GM of the posterior parietal cortex as well as impaired attention and mental flexibility. Additional investigation is needed to corroborate and extend these findings and more clearly elucidate their relationship to physical function and the risk of disability.

MRI-guided focused ultrasound–induced blood-brain barrier opening causes meningeal venous permeability manifesting as a temporally evolving contrast enhancement pattern surrounding draining veins i... Background Opening of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) induced with MRI-guided focused ultrasound has been shown in experimental animal models to reduce amyloid-β plaque burden, improve memory perform...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To our knowledge, no published studies have examined whole-brain regional differences to identify more discrete volumetric changes in the brains of childhood leukemia survivors. We used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to examine regional gray and white matter differences in a group of long-term survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) compared with a group of healthy controls. Differences in regional white matter volume were expected, given previous reports of white matter changes during treatment for ALL and reduced brain white matter volumes in long-term survivors. Follow-up analyses examined the relationship of regional brain volumes to cognitive function.

Background and Purpose —The fornix connects various structures involved in memory. We report a patient with anterograde amnesia after an acute ischemic infarct in the anterior fornix. Case Description —A 71-year-old female with acute-onset amnesia had neuroimaging studies showing ischemic infarction of both columns and the body of the fornix and the genu of the corpus callosum. Neuropsychological evaluation revealed anterograde amnesia without evidence of callosal disconnection. The patient showed marked improvement in her memory function on the follow-up visit. Conclusions —Amnesia in this case is likely due to infarction of the anterior fornix structures.

Objective. The primary aim of this pilot study was to identify structural and functional brain differences in older adults with self-reported disabli