• Interdisciplinary Bio Central
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• 제3권3호
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• pp.11.1-11.5
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• 2011

The MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) volumetric analysis of the brain was performed in 59 healthy elderly Koreans (aged 62-76 years; 34 male, 25 female) to investigate whether the previously reported significant correlations between body height and brain volumes in the young aged Koreans (20's) still exist in the old aged Koreans (60's and 70's). Unlike previously reported significant correlations in the young aged Koreans, neither the correlation between whole brain volume and body height in male nor the correlation between cerebellar volume and body height in female show any significance in the old aged Koreans. The significant correlation between body height and whole brain volume was still observed when both male and female data were combined (r=0.27, P<0.05), but the correlation coef-ficient and the level of significance markedly decreased from those of previously reported Korean youth data (r=0.67, P<0.01). Simple linear regression analysis shows decrease of explanatory power of height (measured in $r^2$) from 44% in the youth group to 7% in the old age group on the variance of whole brain volume. Multiple linear regression analysis shows that age and sex, rather than height, are major explanatory variables for whole brain volume in the old aged Koreans. The loss of correlations in the aged group is suspected to be mainly due to age related brain volume changes.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.435-441
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• 2021

Objective: To evaluate the usefulness of the ventricular volume percentage quantified using three-dimensional (3D) brain computed tomography (CT) data for interpreting serial changes in hydrocephalus. Materials and Methods: Intracranial and ventricular volumes were quantified using the semiautomatic 3D threshold-based segmentation approach for 113 brain CT examinations (age at brain CT examination ≤ 18 years) in 38 patients with hydrocephalus. Changes in ventricular volume percentage were calculated using 75 serial brain CT pairs (time interval 173.6 ± 234.9 days) and compared with the conventional assessment of changes in hydrocephalus (increased, unchanged, or decreased). A cut-off value for the diagnosis of no change in hydrocephalus was calculated using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The reproducibility of the volumetric measurements was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient on a subset of 20 brain CT examinations. Results: Mean intracranial volume, ventricular volume, and ventricular volume percentage were 1284.6 ± 297.1 cm³, 249.0 ± 150.8 cm³, and 19.9 ± 12.8%, respectively. The volumetric measurements were highly reproducible (intraclass correlation coefficient = 1.0). Serial changes (0.8 ± 0.6%) in ventricular volume percentage in the unchanged group (n = 28) were significantly smaller than those in the increased and decreased groups (6.8 ± 4.3% and 5.6 ± 4.2%, respectively; p = 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively; n = 11 and n = 36, respectively). The ventricular volume percentage was an excellent parameter for evaluating the degree of hydrocephalus (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.975; 95% confidence interval, 0.948-1.000; p < 0.001). With a cut-off value of 2.4%, the diagnosis of unchanged hydrocephalus could be made with 83.0% sensitivity and 100.0% specificity. Conclusion: The ventricular volume percentage quantified using 3D brain CT data is useful for interpreting serial changes in hydrocephalus.

• 대한치매학회지
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• 제23권3호
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• pp.127-135
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• 2024

Background and Purpose: To ensure data privacy, the development of defacing processes, which anonymize brain images by obscuring facial features, is crucial. However, the impact of these defacing methods on brain imaging analysis poses significant concern. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability of three different defacing methods in automated brain volumetry. Methods: Magnetic resonance imaging with three-dimensional T1 sequences was performed on ten patients diagnosed with subjective cognitive decline. Defacing was executed using mri_deface, BioImage Suite Web-based defacing, and Defacer. Brain volumes were measured employing the QBraVo program and FreeSurfer, assessing intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and the mean differences in brain volume measurements between the original and defaced images. Results: The mean age of the patients was 71.10±6.17 years, with 4 (40.0%) being male. The total intracranial volume, total brain volume, and ventricle volume exhibited high ICCs across the three defacing methods and 2 volumetry analyses. All regional brain volumes showed high ICCs with all three defacing methods. Despite variations among some brain regions, no significant mean differences in regional brain volume were observed between the original and defaced images across all regions. Conclusions: The three defacing algorithms evaluated did not significantly affect the results of image analysis for the entire brain or specific cerebral regions. These findings suggest that these algorithms can serve as robust methods for defacing in neuroimaging analysis, thereby supporting data anonymization without compromising the integrity of brain volume measurements.

• 한국의학물리학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국의학물리학회 2002년도 Proceedings
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• pp.322-323
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• 2002

Partial volume averaging effect of PET data influences on the accuracy of quantitative measurements of regional brain metabolism because spatial resolution of PET is limited. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of partial volume correction carried out on $^{18}$ F-PET images using Hoffman brain phantom. $^{18}$ F-PET Hoffman phantom images were co-registered to MR slices of the same phantom. All the MR slices of the phantom were then segmented to be binary images. Each of these binary images was convolved in 2 dimensions with the spatial resolution of the PET. The original PET images were then divided by the smoothed binary images in slice-by-slice, voxel-by-voxel basis resulting in larger PET image volume in size. This enlarged partial volume corrected PET image volume was multiplied by original binary image volume to exclude extracortical region. The evaluation of partial volume corrected PET image volume was performed by region of interests (ROI) analysis applying ROIs, which were drawn on cortical regions of the original MR image slices, to corrected and original PET image volume. From the ROI analysis, range of regional mean values increases of partial volume corrected PET images was 4 to 14%, and average increase for all the ROIs was about 10% in this phantom study. Hoffman brain phantom study was useful for the objective evaluation of the partial volume correction method. This MR-based correction method would be applicable to patients in the. quantitative analysis of FDG-PET studies.

• 대한본초학회지
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• 제29권1호
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• pp.19-26
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• 2014

Objectives : This study was performed in order to evaluate the effects of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix (SMR) water extract against the cerebral hemorrhage and the blood-brain barrier (BBB) impairment in the intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Method : ICH was induced by the stereotaxic intrastriatal injection of bacterial collagenase type IV in Sprague-Dawley rats. SMR was orally given three times every 20 hours during 3 days after the ICH induction. Hematoma volume, water content of brain tissue and volume of evans blue leakage were examined. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) positive neutrophils and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$) were observed with immunofluorescence labeling and confocal microscope. Results : SMR significantly reduced the hematoma volume of the ICH-induced rat brain. SMR significantly reduced the water content of brain tissue of the ICH-induced rat brain. SMR reduced the percentage of the evans blue leakage around the hematoma on the caudate putamen compared to the ICH group, especially on the cerebral cortex. SMR significantly reduced the volume of the evans blue leakage level in the peri-hematoma regions of the ICH-induced rat brain. SMR significantly reduced MPO positive neutrophils in the peri-hematoma regions of the ICH-induced rat brain. SMR reduced the TNF-${\alpha}$ expression in peri-hematoma regions of the ICH-induced rat brain. TNF-${\alpha}$ immuno-labeled cells were coincided with MPO immuno-labeled neutrophils in peri-hematoma regions of the ICH-induced rat brain. Conclusion : These results suggest that SMR plays a protective role against the blood-brain barrier impairment in the ICH through suppression of inflammation in the rat brain tissues.

• 생물정신의학
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• 제21권1호
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• pp.1-13
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• 2014

Normal aging causes changes in the brain volume, connection, function and cognition. The brain changes with increases in age and difference of gender varies at all levels. Studies about normal brain aging using various brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) variables such as gray and white matter structural imaging, proton spectroscopy, apparent diffusion coefficient, diffusion tensor imaging and functional MRI are reviewed. Total volume of brain increases after birth but decreases after 9 years old. During adulthood, total volume of brain is relatively stable. After 35 years old, brain shrinks gradually. The changes of gray and white matters by aging show different features. N-acetylaspartate decreases or remains unchanged but choline, creatine and myo-inositol increase with aging. Apparent diffusion coefficient decreases till 20 years old and then becomes stable during adulthood and increase after 60 years old. Diffusion tensor properties in white matter tissue are variable during aging. Resting-state functional connectivity decreases after middle age. Structural and functional brain changes with normal aging are important for studying various psychiatric diseases such as dementia, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Our review may be helpful for studying longitudinal changes of these diseases and successful aging.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제24권6호
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• pp.564-573
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• 2023

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of assessing the viscoelastic properties of the brain using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and a novel MRE transducer to determine the relationship between the viscoelastic properties and glymphatic function in neurologically normal individuals. Materials and Methods: This prospective study included 47 neurologically normal individuals aged 23-74 years (male-to-female ratio, 21:26). The MRE was acquired using a gravitational transducer based on a rotational eccentric mass as the driving system. The magnitude of the complex shear modulus |G^*| and the phase angle 𝛗 were measured in the centrum semiovale area. To evaluate glymphatic function, the Diffusion Tensor Image Analysis Along the Perivascular Space (DTI-ALPS) method was utilized and the ALPS index was calculated. Univariable and multivariable (variables with P < 0.2 from the univariable analysis) linear regression analyses were performed for |G^*| and 𝛗 and included sex, age, normalized white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume, brain parenchymal volume, and ALPS index as covariates. Results: In the univariable analysis for |G^*|, age (P = 0.005), brain parenchymal volume (P = 0.152), normalized WMH volume (P = 0.011), and ALPS index (P = 0.005) were identified as candidates with P < 0.2. In the multivariable analysis, only the ALPS index was independently associated with |G^*|, showing a positive relationship (β = 0.300, P = 0.029). For 𝛗, normalized WMH volume (P = 0.128) and ALPS index (P = 0.015) were identified as candidates for multivariable analysis, and only the ALPS index was independently associated with 𝛗 (β = 0.057, P = 0.039). Conclusion: Brain MRE using a gravitational transducer is feasible in neurologically normal individuals over a wide age range. The significant correlation between the viscoelastic properties of the brain and glymphatic function suggests that a more organized or preserved microenvironment of the brain parenchyma is associated with a more unimpeded glymphatic fluid flow.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제26권4호
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• pp.231-241
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• 2005

New methods to register multiple hemispheric slices of the postmortem brain to anatomically corresponding in-vivo MRI slices within a 3D volumetric MRI are presented. Gel-embedding and fiducial markers are used to reduce geometrical distortions in the postmortem brain volume. The registration algorithm relies on a recursive extraction of warped MRI slices from the reference MRI volume using a modified non-linear polynomial transformation until matching slices are found. Eight different voxel similarity measures are tested to get the best co-registration cost and the results show that combination of two different similarity measures shows the best performance. After validating the implementation and approach through simulation studies, the presented methods are applied to real data. The results demonstrate the feasibility and practicability of the presented co­registration methods, thus providing a means of MR signal analysis and histological examination of tissue lesions via co­registered images of postmortem brain slices and their corresponding MRI sections. With this approach, it is possible to investigate the pathology of a disease through both routinely acquired MRls and postmortem brain slices, thus improving the understanding of the pathological substrates and their progression.

• 전자공학회논문지 IE
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• 제43권4호
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• pp.21-27
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• 2006

본 논문은 사람의 뇌에 대한 자기공명영상에서 백질과 회백질을 분리하고 각각의 체적을 산출하기 위한 것이다. 정상인과 비정상인의 대뇌 영상으로부터 백질, 회백질, 뇌척수액을 분리하고, 분리된 조직의 체적을 계산한다. 본 논문에서는 뇌 MR영상에서 체적을 산출하고 백질과 회백질을 산출하기 위한 새로운 방법을 제안한다. 그리고 각 구성 비율에 따라 표현되는 명암 값 분석을 통한 대뇌 자기공명영상으로부터 백질 및 회백질을 추출할 수 있는 판별값을 결정하는 방법을 개발하였다. 각 슬라이스에 추출된 화소의 수를 이용하여 백질 및 회백질의 체적을 구하는 방법을 제안하였다. 그리고 환자의 뇌척수액/대뇌 체적비와 연령을 입력으로 받아 판별식을 통해 판별값을 계산하며, 계산된 판별값을 이용해 기준점과 비교함으로써 정상과 비정상을 진단하였다. 결과적으로 연령이 증가 할수록 백질과 회백질의 체적은 감소하고 뇌척수액의 체적은 증가하고 있는 것을 알 수 있었다.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.409-417
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• 1999

Talarirach 뇌지도(atlas)는 서로 수직인 두정방향(coronal), 시상봉합방향(sagittal), 축방향(axial)의 3세트 슬라이스들로 구성되어 있으며, 뇌기능 질환진단 및 병인 분석에서 표준 뇌지도로서 그 중요성이 부각되고 있다. 특히 컴퓨터상에서 이들로부터 얻어진 3차원 디지털 볼륨 데이터는 처리결과의 가시화와 정량적 분석에서 그 응용범위가 크다. 본 노문은 Talairach 뇌지도의 3차원 볼륨 데이터 재구성에서 쌍선형(bi-linear) 보간법의 적용 방법과 삼평면(tri-planar)보간법을 제안하고, Talairach 뇌지도 편집기를 제작하여 볼륨 데이터 재구성의 문제점을 고찰하였다. 쌍선형 보간법과 뇌지도에 적용은 1세트의 슬라이스에 대하여 하나씩의 밝기값만 고려하였으며, 삼평면 보간법은 서로 수직인 3방향의 슬라이스의 노구조물 정보를 동시에 이용하였다. Talairach 뇌지도 편집기는 3방향의 슬라이스를 동일 좌표계에 동시에 시각화하여 편집할 수 있도록 하였다. 뇌지도 편집기를 이용하여 Talairach 뇌지도의 3방향의 슬라이스간의 뇌구조물의 부합이 다름을 보여줌으로써 볼륨 재구성의 문제점을 밝혔다.