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Neuroimaging
by CHeBA
The Neuroimaging Group is dedicated to researching the ageing of the human brain. By studying neuroimaging modalities, we aim to improve understanding of brain ageing pathways, which in turn will lead to clinical advances in prediction, diagnosis and treatment. We are interested in computational neuroanatomy: the development of a comprehensive structural and functional model of the brain. Our neuroimaging studies address normal ageing, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia.
Group Leader: Associate Professor Wei Wen Staff: Dr Jiyang Jiang, Kelvin Lau, Yue Liu Students: Heidi Foo, Abdullah Alqarni, Dr Jing Du, Chao Dong
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Chao Dong, Professor Wei Wen, Dr Jing Du, Dr Rebecca Koncz, Dr Matt Paradise, Dr Jiyang Jiang
New Rating Scale Developed to Quantify Cerebrovascular Damage
Research led by Dr Matt Paradise has developed a rating scale to better understand the effects of certain aspects of cerebrovascular disease and its association with dementia, with findings published in the Journal of the Neurological Sciences.
The research, which assessed 414 community dwelling older adults aged between 70 and 90 found that perivascular spaces are a common MRI finding in the elderly. Perivascular spaces surround small blood vessels as they penetrate into the brain tissue. They have a normal physiological role in homeostasis of the cerebral environment, including draining of tissue fluid and removal of toxins. With improved imaging technology and better resolution of MRI, they are increasingly seen in routine scans, particularly when dilated.
Dilation of perivascular spaces may be due to a number of pathological processes including hypertension, obstruction, inflammation and atrophy. They are also a feature of small vessel disease – cerebrovascular disease affecting small blood vessels.
Currently, there is no widely used rating scale for perivascular spaces and the researchers found poor inter-rater reliability when using existing scales. As such, they developed a visually rated perivascular space scale, based on the Dr Matt Paradise number of perivascular spaces in two representative slices, where they are likely to occur. The new rating scale is easy to use, quick, has good psychometric properties and performs better than existing scales in community dwelling older individuals. Perivascular spaces may turn out to be a useful biomarker of cerebrovascular disease and help inform dementia diagnosis and treatment in the future.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2019.116621
We extend our thanks to the Josh Woolfson Memorial Scholarship for part-funding this project.
Measuring Complexity of the Brain
An international collaboration between CHeBA’s Neuroimaging Group and Beihang University in China, published in Neurobiology of Aging, researched differential longitudinal changes in structural complexity and volumetric measures in community-dwelling older individuals.
The research analysed the brain scans of community-dwelling older individuals aged 70-90 without dementia, using data from CHeBA’s Sydney Memory and Ageing Study. Researchers discovered that a measure of ‘complexity’ of the brain is more sensitive to brain changes over time than more conventional measures such as cortical thickness or cortical volumes. Findings could provide a useful measure for future brain morphological and cognitive studies.
