Schlösser Ralf, Hunsche Stefan, Gawehn Joachim, Grunert Peter, Vucurevic Goran, Gesierich Thomas, Kaufmann Bettina, Rossbach Wolfgang, Stoeter Peter
Department of Psychiatry, Universit of Mainz, Germany.
Magn Reson Imaging. 2002 Jan;20(1):7-16. doi: 10.1016/s0730-725x(01)00434-9.
Previous studies have indicated that the BOLD-fMRI signal can be modified by tumor processes in close vicinity to functional brain areas. This effect has been investigated primarily for the perirolandic area but there is only a limited number of studies concerning frontal cortical regions. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to characterize BOLD-fMRI signal and activation patterns in patients with frontal brain tumors while performing a verbal fluency task. Six patients (ages 31-56 years) suffering from frontal (5 left sided and 1 right sided) intracerebral tumors were examined with fMRI while performing a verbal fluency task in a blocked paradigm design. Eight healthy volunteers served as the control group. The patients (5 right and 1 left handed) demonstrated left frontal activation which could be clearly located outside the tumor area and adjacent edema with varying degrees of additional right frontal activation. In the predominant left frontal activation cluster, the mean voxel based z-score and cluster size were not statistically different between patients and controls. The present fMRI study is indicating that language related BOLD signal changes in the frontal cortex of patients with tumors close to functional areas were comparable to the signal in normal controls. Additionally, the temporal hemodynamic response characteristic was comparable in both groups. This is an important finding consistent with PET results and corroborates the feasibility of functional mapping approaches in patients with tumors affecting the frontal lobe. Additional studies investigating alterations of the hemodynamic response depending on tumor location and histology are required in order to further elucidate the association between pathophysiology and BOLD fMRI signal.
先前的研究表明，靠近大脑功能区的肿瘤过程可改变血氧水平依赖性功能磁共振成像（BOLD-fMRI）信号。这种效应主要在中央前回周围区域进行了研究，但关于额叶皮质区域的研究数量有限。因此，本研究的目的是在患者执行言语流畅性任务时，对额叶脑肿瘤患者的BOLD-fMRI信号和激活模式进行特征描述。6例（年龄31 - 56岁）患有额叶（5例左侧和1例右侧）脑内肿瘤的患者在执行言语流畅性任务时采用fMRI进行检查，该任务采用组块设计范式。8名健康志愿者作为对照组。患者（5例右利手和1例左利手）表现出左侧额叶激活，其可明确位于肿瘤区域及相邻水肿之外，且伴有不同程度的额外右侧额叶激活。在主要的左侧额叶激活簇中，患者和对照组之间基于体素的平均z分数和簇大小无统计学差异。目前的fMRI研究表明，靠近功能区的肿瘤患者额叶皮质中与语言相关的BOLD信号变化与正常对照组的信号相当。此外，两组的时间血流动力学反应特征相当。这是一项与正电子发射断层扫描（PET）结果一致的重要发现，证实了在影响额叶的肿瘤患者中进行功能图谱绘制方法的可行性。为了进一步阐明病理生理学与BOLD fMRI信号之间的关联，需要进行更多研究来调查血流动力学反应随肿瘤位置和组织学的变化。
