Physics Commons^™

A Non-Contrast Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technique To Assess Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability, Harini Pandithasekera

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Blood-brain barrier (BBB) regulates the entry of compounds between the blood and the brain, thus plays an important role in brain homeostasis. Studies indicate in disease states such as Alzheimer’s the BBB integrity is compromised. The motive of this project is to investigate the sensitivity of the diffusion-weighted arterial spin labeling (DW-ASL) technique to detect water exchange. Testing the sensitivity requires a reliable method of opening the barrier at specific locations of the brain. Here, a unique technology named focused ultrasound (FUS) has been used to mimic a compromised BBB environment.

A series of experiments were conducted in a …

Resting State Functional Magnetic Resonance And Diffusion Tensor Imaging Of Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy Patients Treated With Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy: Predictors And Clinically Correlated Evidence Of Neuroplasticity, Kathryn Y. Manning

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Hemiplegic cerebral palsy is characterized by unilateral upper limb impairment and patients often compensate by performing most tasks with their unaffected arm. Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) directly combats this learned non-use by casting the unaffected arm and forcing the patient to repetitively practice skills with the hemiplegic limb. Subjects with hemiplegic cerebral palsy were recruited from Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Thames Valley Children’s Centre and McMaster Children’s Hospital. MRI acquisitions and clinical evaluations were collected at baseline, 1 and 6-months later. The case group participated in a CIMT camp after baseline evaluations and was compared to an untreated control …