A Multiparametric Brain and Cord MR Imaging Study of a Patient with Hirayama Disease
A. Galloa,b,
M.A. Roccaa,
P. Tortorellaa,
A. Ammendolac,
G. Tedeschib and
M. Filippia
a Neuroimaging Research Unit, Department. of Neurology, Scientific Institute and University Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
b II Department of Neurology, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy
c Department of Neurophysiopathology, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy
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Fig 1. Sagittal (A), coronal (B), and axial (C) T2-weighted and sagittal T1-weighted (D) cervical cord images from a patient with HD. T2-weighted images show the presence of bilateral abnormalities, more evident on the left side, extending from C4 to C7. On the T1-weighted scans, these lesions appear as hypointense; atrophy of the cord is also seen.
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Fig 2. Random effect between-group analysis (corrected P values <0.05) showing, on a high-resolution T1-weighted image in the standard SPM space, regions of relative increased cortical activations (color-coded for t values) in a patient with HD during the performance of a simple motor task with the right hand, in comparison with healthy volunteers. A, Contralateral secondary sensorimotor cortex. B, Ipsilateral primary sensorimotor cortex and supplementary motor area. The increased activation of these regions in a patient with HD might be due to a perceived complexity/novelty of the experimental simple task, as a consequence of cord injury. Such cortical reorganization might contribute to maintaining a normal level of upper limb function in this patient.
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