A5032509951- Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
- Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
- Acute Ischemic Stroke Management
- Cerebrovascular and Carotid Artery Diseases
- Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research
- Spatial Neglect and Hemispheric Dysfunction
- Intracerebral and Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Research
- Neurological Disease Mechanisms and Treatments
- Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Heavy Metal Exposure and Toxicity
- Neurological Disorders and Treatments
- Brain Tumor Detection and Classification
- Trace Elements in Health
- Health, Environment, Cognitive Aging
- Selenium in Biological Systems
- Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and Treatments
- Cerebrospinal fluid and hydrocephalus
- Neural dynamics and brain function
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Cerebrovascular and genetic disorders
- Epilepsy research and treatment
- Nutritional Studies and Diet
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
2016-2025
University of Oxford
2016-2025
Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Modena
2019-2025
National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment
2025
Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging
2014-2023
Azienda Unita' Sanitaria Locale Di Modena
2023
John Radcliffe Hospital
2011-2019
University of Bristol
2017
University of Hong Kong
2017
Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust
2017
Reliable quantification of white matter hyperintensities presumed vascular origin (WMHs) is increasingly needed, given the presence these MRI findings in patients with several neurological and disorders, as well elderly healthy subjects. We present BIANCA (Brain Intensity AbNormality Classification Algorithm), a fully automated, supervised method for WMH detection, based on k-nearest neighbour (k-NN) algorithm. Relative to previous k-NN segmentation methods, offers different options...
We propose an integrative cognitive neuroscience framework for understanding the and neural foundations of religious belief. Our analysis reveals 3 psychological dimensions belief (God's perceived level involvement, God's emotion, doctrinal/experiential knowledge), which functional MRI localizes within networks processing Theory Mind regarding intent abstract semantics, imagery. results are unique in demonstrating that specific components mediated by well-known brain networks, support...
White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are frequently divided into periventricular (PWMH) and deep (DWMH), the two classes have been associated with different cognitive, microstructural, clinical correlates. However, although this distinction is widely used in visual ratings scales, how to best anatomically define still disputed. In fact, methods PWMH DWMH vary significantly between studies, making results difficult compare. The purpose of study was twofold: first, compare four current criteria...
<b>Background: </b> Aberrant social behavior is a defining symptom of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and may eventually occur in all syndromes composing the FTD spectrum. Two main behavioral abnormalities have been described: apathy disinhibition, but their neuroanatomical correlates remain underspecified. <b>Methods: Sixty-two patients with clinical diagnosis participated study. Voxel-based morphometry MRI data was performed to explore association between gray matter loss severity two...
Diffusion imaging is a promising marker of microstructural damage in neurodegenerative disorders, but interpretation its relationship with underlying neuropathology can be complex. Here, we examined both volumetric and brain microstructure abnormalities 13 amnestic patients mild cognitive impairment (MCI), who progressed to probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) no earlier than 2 years after baseline scanning, order focus on early, hence more sensitive, markers. We compared them 22 stable MCI...
To examine functional connectivity within the basal ganglia network (BGN) in a group of cognitively normal patients with early Parkinson disease (PD) on and off medication compared to age- sex-matched healthy controls (HC), validate findings separate cohort participants PD.Participants were scanned resting-state fMRI (RS-fMRI) at 3T field strength. Resting-state networks isolated using independent component analysis. A BGN template was derived from 80 elderly HC participants. maps between 19...
<b><i>Background:</i></b> The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) appears more sensitive to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) than the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE): over 50% of TIA and stroke patients with an MMSE score ≥27 (‘normal’ function) at ≥6 months after index event, <26 on MoCA, a cutoff which has good sensitivity specificity for MCI in this population. We hypothesized that MoCA might part be due detection different patterns domain impairment....
Little is known about factors influencing progression from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's dementia. A potential role of environmental chemicals and specifically selenium, a trace element nutritional toxicological relevance, has been suggested. Epidemiologic studies selenium are lacking, however, with the exception recent randomized trial based on an organic form.We determined concentrations species in cerebrospinal fluid sampled at diagnosis 56 participants nonvascular origin. We...
To determine the pattern of executive dysfunction in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and corticobasal syndrome (CBS) to brain areas associated with these illnesses.We administered Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS), a collection standardized function tests, 51 patients behavioral-variant FTD 50 CBS. We also performed discriminant analysis on D-KEFS which tests best distinguished clinical diagnoses Finally, we used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) regional gray matter volume loss...
The comparative ability of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and MMSE to detect mild cognitive difficulties was investigated in 107 older adults. sensitivity MoCA impairment with a cutoff score <26 investigated, as compared across all scores, at ≥27. Performance on subtests these cutoffs determine profiles early difficulties. detected not by high proportion participants, this evident various subtests. appears be sensitive screening test for detection impairment.
Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to a set of competencies that are essential features human social life. Although the neural substrates EI virtually unknown, it is well established prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays crucial role in social-emotional behavior. We studied unique sample combat veterans from Vietnam Head Injury Study, which prospective, long-term follow-up study with focal penetrating head injuries. administered Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Intelligence Test as valid standardized...
Resting state fMRI (rfMRI) is gaining in popularity, being easy to acquire and with promising clinical applications. However, rfMRI studies, especially those involving groups, still lack reproducibility, largely due the different analysis settings. This particularly important for development of imaging biomarkers. The aim this work was evaluate reproducibility our recent study regarding functional connectivity basal ganglia network early Parkinson's disease (PD) (Szewczyk-Krolikowski et al.,...
In the healthy human brain, evidence for dissociable memory networks along anterior–posterior axis of hippocampus suggests that this structure may not function as a unitary entity. Failure to consider these functional divisions explain diverging results among studies adaptation in disease. Using task-based and resting MRI, we show chronic seizures disrupting anterior medial temporal lobe (MTL) preserve posterior hippocampal-cortical dissociations, but alter signaling between other key brain...
Combining PET amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau imaging may be critical for tracking disease progression in Alzheimer's (AD).We sought to characterize the relationship between Aβ ligands as well with other measures of pathology.We conducted a multi-center observational study early AD (MMSE >20) participants aged 50 85 y. The schedule included cognitive assessments (ADAS-Cog) CSF measurement at baseline 6 months; PET-CT ([18F]AV45) ([18F]AV1451) baseline.22 took part 20 completing its 6-month duration...
Perivascular spaces (PVSs) are considered markers of small vessel disease. However, their long-term prognostic implications in transient ischemic attack/ischemic stroke patients unknown. Ethnic differences PVS prevalence also unknown.Two independent prospective studies were conducted, 1 comprising predominantly whites with (OXVASC [Oxford Vascular] study) and Chinese (University Hong Kong). Clinical imaging correlates, for death, ethnic basal ganglia (BG) centrum semiovale (CS) PVSs studied...
White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) have been associated with various cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Reliable quantification of WMHs is essential for understanding their clinical impact in normal pathological populations. Automated segmentation highly challenging due to heterogeneity WMH characteristics between deep periventricular white matter, presence artefacts differences the pathology demographics In this work, we propose an ensemble triplanar network that combines...
Politics is a manifestation of the uniquely human ability to debate, decide, and reach consensus on decisions affecting large groups over long durations time. Recent neuroimaging studies politics have focused association between brain regions specific political behaviors by adopting party or ideological affiliation as criterion classify either experimental stimuli subjects. However, it unlikely that complex beliefs (i.e., "the government should protect freedom speech") are evaluated only...
Posterior cortical atrophy is a neurodegenerative syndrome characterised by progressive disruption of visual and perceptual processing, associated with in the parieto-occipital cortex. Current diagnostic criteria describe relative sparing episodic memory function, but recent findings suggest that anterograde often impaired. Whether these deficits extend to remote has not been addressed. A large body evidence suggests recollection an autobiographical event from past coincides successful...
Resting state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) has been previously shown to be a promising tool for the assessment of early Parkinson's disease (PD). In order assess whether changes within basal ganglia network (BGN) are specific or relate neurodegeneration generally, BGN connectivity was assessed in 32 patients with PD, 19 healthy controls and 31 Alzheimer's (AD). Voxel-wise comparisons demonstrated decreased when compared AD controls. No significant were seen AD, Moreover, measures extracted from...