Magnetic Resonance Imaging

This is a single-center cohort study aimed to describe the urinary excretion kinetics of gadolinium contrast agents (Gd-CAs). Patients with a prescription for injected MRI are invited to participate in the study. If they agree, blood and urine samples are collected before Gd-CAs injection, and urine samples are collected between 0- and two-and-a-half-hours post-injection of Gd-CAs.

The purpose of this investigation is to develop improved magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques and hardware for studying brain function. MRI is a diagnostic tool that provides information about brain chemistry and physiology. This study will evaluate new MRI methods for monitoring blood flow to regions of the brain in response to simple tasks. The MRI machine used in this study is more powerful than those in most hospitals, permitting a higher visual resolution. Normal healthy volunteers over 18 years old may be eligible for this study. Candidates will be screened with a medical history and questionnaire, and a neurological examination. Study participants will have a yearly MRI scan. For this procedure, the subject lies on a stretcher that is moved into a donut-shaped machine with a strong magnetic field. A lightweight circular or rectangular coil-a device that improves the quality of the images-may be placed on the head. The scan time varies from 20 minutes to 3 hours; most scans last between 45 and 90 minutes. During the scan, the subject may perform simple tasks, such as listening to tapes, tapping a finger, moving a hand, watching a screen, or smelling a fragrance. More complex tasks may require thinking about tones or pictures and responding to them by pressing buttons. Information from this study will be used to develop better imaging methods that will, in turn, permit a greater understanding of normal and abnormal brain behaviors.

The research study is being conducted to better understand the effects of ketosis on brain functioning and the acute effects of alcohol. Participants will be asked to undergo \~4 weeks of ketogenic diet intervention. The study involves three lab visits: Lab 1 before starting the diet, Lab 2 after about 2 weeks after starting the diet, and Lab 3 after being on the diet for 4 weeks. All of the labs will include an alcohol tolerance test, and blood draws. Lab 1 and Lab 3 will also include an Magnetic resonance imaging scan. Due to scheduling, study procedures at 2 and 4 weeks may occur +/- 3 days. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain will measure levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) (a coenzyme that is important for energy metabolism), lactate (a metabolite produced during energy metabolism), and neurotransmitters glutamate and GABA. Alcohol tolerance will be tested using a dose of alcohol (approximately 4-5 alcohol beverages) to will elevate breath alcohol levels to approximately 0.08% to measure the acute effects of alcohol. Blood samples will be collected to measure varying metabolites.

A single subanesthetic dose infusion of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist ketamine has rapid and robust antidepressant effects in patients with treatment-refractory major depressive disorder (TRD). A family history of an alcohol use disorder (Family History Positive, FHP) is one of the strongest identified predictors of an improved antidepressant response to ketamine. Like ketamine, alcohol is a functional NMDA receptor antagonist. FHP is associated with differential response to ketamine, e.g. blunted psychotomimetic side effects. One of the primary mechanistic hypotheses for ketamine's antidepressant action is the acute intrasynaptic release of glutamate from major output neurons, e.g. cortical pyramidal cells. Preliminary clinical studies have demonstrated this acute glutamate "surge" in response to subanesthetic dose ketamine. Based on these findings, the investigators hypothesize that ketamine's enhanced antidepressant efficacy in FHP TRD subjects is, at least in part, attributable to increased glutamate release relative to TRD subjects without a family history of alcohol use disorder (Family History Negative, FHN). To test this hypothesis, the investigators have designed a now two-site, open-label study of 18-55-year-old medically and neurologically healthy, currently moderately-to-severely depressed TRD patients. In total, the investigators plan to recruit 25 FHP and 25 FHN TRD subjects. All subjects must not have a current substance use disorder (except nicotine or caffeine). The experimental portion consists of two phases. The preliminary first phase is a medication taper (if needed) and psychotropic medication-free period. The experimental second phase comprises one subanesthetic dose (0.5mg/kg x 40 minute) ketamine infusion. The ketamine infusion will occur during 7T-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), both resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to detect glutamate in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex/ventral anterior cingulate cortex (vmPFC/vACC). The primary outcome measure is group mean change in Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score from pre-ketamine infusion (baseline) to one-week post-infusion, where the investigators observed ketamine's greatest antidepressant effect in FHP TRD. Additional outcome measures are vmPFC/vACC glutamate change in response to ketamine based on family history status. In summary, this study will provide key mechanistic information on ketamine's improved antidepressant efficacy in a biologically-enriched subgroup. This will contribute to the systematic development of more efficacious, personalized treatments for major depression in an effort to reduce its enormous public health burden.

Heart transplantation (HTx) is a well-established life-saving procedure but is associated with severe complications. Regular monitoring of heart transplant recipients is thus important for the early detection of these complications. Current standard clinical tests, however, rely on frequent invasive procedures including endomyocardial biopsies (EMB) and catheter angiography (Cath). In addition, these standard tests are limited by sampling error, the diffuse nature of HTx complications, and high health care utilization cost, estimated at \>$150,000 per year per patient in the US. To address these limitations, our group has developed a non-invasive multiparametric cardiac MRI, which can quantify abnormal changes in heart tissue and function. Our efforts during the initial period of this study (NIH funded 2014-2019) have focused on the two major complications of HTx: 1) acute cardiac rejection (ACR), the leading cause of death in the first year after heart transplant; and 2) cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV), the greatest risk factor for 5-year mortality beyond the first year after heart transplantation. For these major compilation, our previous cardiac MRI studies have identified new non-invasive cardiac MRI measures that can detect abnormalities of heart tissue and function. In addition, the data was able to show that heart donor and recipient mismatch (age, sex, height, weight, etc.) can cause changes in tissue and function of the transplanted heart.

T1rho imaging is a new MRI technique that has strong potential in neuroimaging. This technique does not require exogenous contrast agents and has high spatial resolution. In this study we aim to characterise the normal appearance of T1rho in the brain parenchyma in healthy participants. T1rho values will be measured in normal brain structures.

This is a single centre, single arm, prospective feasibility study that aims to see whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a source of image guidance before each radiation treatment fraction is feasible, and also if it may provide information that could potentially be used during the treatment to improve the radiation treatment plan. Patients will have 5 MRIs with each of their RT sessions. If patients' RT treatment will consist of more than 5 fractions, only 5 MRIs will be done with any 5 RT fractions. Patients will be completing a short questionnaire at the end of each MRI. A patient questionnaire will also be completed at the end of the study to assess for patient satisfaction. There will be 30 evaluable patients enrolled to the study.

Brain blood flow will be measured during a simulated postural change test and while breathing increased levels of carbon dioxide using magnetic resonance imaging.

The Philips 3T imager installed on the Pavillon Baudot site is an imager dedicated solely to research. It is not located in hospital premises but in INSERM premises for which an authorization for biomedical research has been granted. This equipment is part of the Technical Platform of the UMR 1214 ToNIC whose main objective is the study of the human brain and the main pathologies that affect it. MRI is an evolving technique, which is used in many research projects. Our technical platform must follow these developments and remain at the cutting edge. One of the essential services of our technical platform is to help set up research protocols and validate acquisition sequences. This development activity is therefore located upstream of research projects involving clinical or fundamental applications. The fact that we can provide our users with a regulatory framework to carry out these development tests for their Research Involving Human Subjects project is a necessity for our research support activity. This study aims to provide a generic framework to test the feasibility of MRI sequences requested within the framework of protocols, but also to optimize MRI acquisition sequences already in place, to improve image quality and reduce artifacts that can degrade the quality of the images obtained. In France, there are just over 35 centers with MRI dedicated to research and therefore with a validation protocol allowing them to validate their sequences.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) accounts for 85-95% of pancreatic cancer and is one of the deadliest tumors in the world, with a survival rate of less than 8%, and identifying key prognostic or predictive factors facilitates risk stratification and prospective assessment in clinical trials. The extracellular matrix (ECM) surrounding PDAC often exhibits a large number of interstitial fibrosis, which is closely related to the formation, development and metastasis of PDAC. High order three-dimensional MR elastography (3D-MRE) allows non-invasive measurements of sheer stiffness in normal pancreas and pancreatic lesions. However, there are no reports about the application of MRE imaging biomarkers to predict the prognosis of PDAC at home and abroad.

The TAG-SVD enrolled patients with clinical and neuroimaging features of cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). All enrolled patients will receive next-generation sequence (NGS) with probes designed to target five candidate CSVD genes, and patients will be divided into genetic or non-genetic groups accordingly. Their clinical features and outcome will be followed for at least 2 years.

Endometriosis is a frequent pathology with an estimated prevalence of 10% of women of childbearing age. There is no exact correspondence between the symptoms described by the patients and the severity of the lesions, which makes clinical diagnosis difficult. It therefore seems important to improve the complementary examinations available to make the diagnosis more precise and to better study the effectiveness of the treatments implemented. The clinical examination and per-surgical findings of patients with deep pelvic endometriosis show a clear decrease in the mobility of the pelvic organs in relation to each other, but few studies have looked at this mobility, which could however have an implication in explaining the pathophysiology of the disease and the symptomatology of the patients, as well as in the detection of lesions preoperatively. The persistence of hypo-mobility could also help to understand treatment failures.

Brain blood flow will be measured during a simulated postural change test and while breathing increased levels of carbon dioxide using magnetic resonance imaging.

To determine whether using bpMRI in subjects who are at high risk of developing prostate cancer in conjunction with PSA will improve prostate cancer screening protocols.

The proposed research is to determine the clinical efficacy and neurobiological mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia in patients with sickle cell disease.

The goal of the current project is to explore and develop the technical feasibility of non-invasive imaging of the human musculoskeletal system and head with the first 7T MR scanner with a CE mark to identify areas where the higher field promises significant benefits in qualitative image quality. For a subset of the planned exams, state-of-the art 7T or 3T images will be used as standard of reference to comparatively gauge the qualitative image quality of the investigational 7T images.

High-resolution MRI (7 Tesla) of the cervical spine is capable to provide good differentiation between nerve and surrounding tissues within foramen und allows to reliably quantify the diameter of nerve roots/ganglia. Secondly, detailed anatomy of vertebral artery and its relation to neural structures / foramina can be assessed.

The purpose of this study is to test the impact of a multilevel decision support intervention on informed decisions about breast MRI among high-risk Black and Latina women. Participants (N=80) will be randomized to (1) enhanced usual care (risk assessment + referral to nurse practitioner) or (2) decision support (enhanced usual care + decision aid). Assessments will take place at baseline (T0) and 1-month post-intervention (T1). The primary outcome is informed decisions about breast MRI at T1.

This study aims to evaluate the role of stroke protocol in the early diagnosis and management of acute stroke and its effect on turnaround time (TAT) in emergency settings.

This is a phase 1 study to determine the feasibility and utility of using serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess treatment response during and after radiation therapy (standard of care cancer treatment) for participants with advanced esophageal cancer, glioblastoma, prostate cancer, vulvar cancer or pediatric glioma. The research study procedures include three MRI scans (one before, one during, and one after standard of care cancer radiation therapy) for participants with advanced esophageal cancer, glioblastoma, prostate cancer, vulvar cancer or pediatric glioma. The research study procedures include: * Screening for eligibility * Three MRI scans

Semantic AD

This study, called TARGET-ASPECT, looks at patients who had a type of stroke called acute ischemic stroke and were treated with clot-busting medicine and a procedure to remove the clot. Even with these treatments, about half of patients don't fully recover. The study aims to see if certain brain imaging scores, especially when combined, can better predict how well patients will recover 90 days after their stroke and if their blood vessels reopen successfully. The study will include 152 patients and last about 9 months. The goal is to find easy and reliable tools that doctors can use to make better treatment decisions.

Using multimodal imaging technology, this study aims to explore the characteristics of epileptogenic foci in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy and identify key network nodes (such as central nodes) to provide more assistance for the diagnosis of drug-resistant epilepsy.

Allotransplants of vascularized composite tissues are subject to chronic vascular rejection, which can lead to graft loss. Currently, no imaging technique allows a reproducible quantitative exploration of the arterial trees of the hand, and therefore a satisfactory monitoring of transplants. Since 2014, flow MRI has been applied to the analysis of small-calibre arteries by the Image Processing Team at the Amiens-Picardie University Hospital. Between 2015 and 2017, several acquisitions were made in 3 patients who received facial allotransplantation, and the team recently developed a flow MRI protocol dedicated to the study of arterial trees in the hand. The main objective is to measure vascular flows of radial, ulnar and interdigital arterial trees in normal (healthy volunteers) and pathological situations (patients with radial forearm flap reconstruction and patients with hand allotransplantation) using the specifically developed flow MRI protocol.

The primary objective of this observational registry is to develop a comprehensive clinical and imaging score (incorporating echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance data) that enhances risk stratification for patients with Takotsubo syndrome. The secondary objectives of this registry are as follows: Investigate the diagnostic value of cardiac magnetic resonance parameters in predicting in-hospital and long-term outcomes in patients with Takotsubo syndrome. Compare the proposed risk stratification score for patients with Takotsubo syndrome with previously existing scores. Investigate the contribution of machine learning models in predicting in-hospital and long-term outcomes compared to standard clinical scores. The design and rationale of this registry are available at 10.1097/RTI.0000000000000709